The plants upon which we depend for the food we eat, and for the oxygen we breathe, depend in turn upon the soil.
The soil supplies the plants with the mineral nutrients which they use.
Mineral nutrition thus comprises the study of plants which obtain the mineral elements (either through water, air or soil) and utilise them for their growth and development.
Any substance that can be broken down through chemical processes in the body of an organism to give energy is called food. Food also includes liquids, e.g., juices, soups, etc.
The process by which an organism obtains food which is used to provide energy and materials for its life sustaining activities is termed as nutrition.
