What are amino acids?

What are amino acids ?

Amino acids are organic compounds that contain amino (-NH3+) and carboxylic acid (-CO2-) functional groups (ref to picture). They are the building blocks of all life on Earth and contribute to many vital functions in biological systems.

There are 20 amino acids essential to all living organisms. These amino acids are the basic building blocks which can be combined in an almost infinite number of variations to build different proteins.

Those proteins have different functions: structural, metabolising, transport of nutrients, build-up of amino acid reserves and numerous others.

Different functions of amino acids

Below are listed some of the key functions of amino acids in plants.

		Metabolic processes involved
Glu	Glutamic acid	Increasing the shoot system, growth, and early yield.
Pro	Proline	Increasing tolerance to the hard conditions, activating pollen grain germination, organizing osmosis potential, maintaining the colloidal properties of the cell protoplasm, and removing the negative effect of free radicals.
Ser	Serine	Increasing plant tolerance to diseases, activating chlorophyll, and has a role in hormone balance inside plant.

More amino acids

		Metabolic processes involved

Gly	Glycine	Activating photosynthesis and raising its efficiency as it enhances chlorophyll formation and encourages vegetative growth as well as it has a role in pollination and fruitfulness.
Asp	Aspartic acid	Enhancing plant resistance to diseases.
Val	Valine	Affecting the velocity of growth, root formation, and seed production.
Arg	Arginine	Increasing tolerance to the hard conditions such as heat, frost, drought, and salinity. It has a role in chlorophyll formation and enhancing root formation as well as cell division and poly amid formation.
Ala	Alanine	Affecting plant growth velocity and activating chlorophyll formation.
Lle	Isoleucine	Increasing the shoot system, growth, and early yield.
Phe	Phenylalanine	Improving plant cells and embryo formation.
Lys	Lysine	Increasing the shoot system, growth, and early yield.
Tyr	Tyrosine	Increasing plant tolerance to diseases.
Cys	Cysteine	Increasing vital processes and regulating them within plants and increasing the disease resistance.
Met	Methionine	Accelerates the fruit ripening as it enters the cycle of ethylene formation and has a role in the root activation.