Current definitions of essential or beneficial elements for plant growth rely on narrowly defined criteria. Unfortunately, these do not fully represent the holistic vision for plant nutrition and often compromise fertilizer regulation and practice.
A new definition for a plant nutrient found in science and relevant in practice would have the potential to revitalize innovation and discovery. A proposed new definition might read: A mineral plant nutrient is an element that is needed for plant growth and development or for the quality attributes of the harvested product, of a given plant species, grown in its natural or cultivated environment.
The here proposed definition would include chemical elements that are currently recognised as essential or for which a clear plant metabolic function has been identified. It would also include elements with demonstrated clear benefits to plant productivity, crop quality, resource use efficiency, stress tolerance, or pest and disease resistance.
Here, we propose an open scientific debate to refine and implement this updated definition for plant nutrients. We are also open to a more precise definition of the experimental evidence required to classify an element as a plant nutrient and an independent scientific body to regularly review the list of essential and beneficial nutrients.
The debate could further attempt to refine the definition of plant nutrients and integrate with nutrients deemed essential for animal and human nutrition. Such an approach would follow the well-supported holistic ’one nutrition‘ concept.
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The emerging definition of “plant biostimulant” raises questions for the new definition of “plant nutrient.” Plant biostimulants are defined as products that “stimulate plant nutrition processes independently of the product’s nutrient content with the sole aim of improving one or more of the following characteristics of the plant or the plant rhizosphere: (1) nutrient use efficiency, (2) tolerance to abiotic stress, (3) quality traits, or (4) availability of confined nutrients in the soil or rhizosphere.” If so, what differentiates a beneficial plant nutrient from a biostimulant? Or are they one and the same?