Describe soil as a reservoir of essential elements.

(N/A) The role of minerals in plant nutrition is referred to as mineral nutrition. Soil consists of a wide variety of nutrients.
Majority of the nutrients that are essential for the growth and development of plants become available to the roots due to the weathering and breakdown of rocks.
These processes enrich the soil with dissolved ions and inorganic salts.
These nutrients are derived from rock minerals.
Soil not only supplies minerals but also harbors nitrogen-fixing bacteria and other microbes, holds water, supplies air to the roots, and acts as a matrix that stabilizes the plant.
Since the deficiency of essential minerals affects crop yield, there is often a need for supplying them through fertilizers.
Both macronutrients $(N, P, K, S, \text{etc.})$ and micronutrients $(Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, \text{etc.})$ form components of fertilizers and are applied as per need.