The study looked at how different plants respond to not having enough nutrients in the soil. They grew wheat, maize, sunflower, and soybean in fields with different fertilizer treatments. Each plant was tested before flowering to see how much of each mineral they had. Sunflowers reacted differently to not having enough phosphorus, while all plants accumulated more elements when lacking potassium. When lacking nitrogen, non-leguminous plants like wheat and maize increased molybdenum in their leaves, suggesting a new role for this element in responding to nutrient deficiencies. Further research could uncover more about how essential elements help plants adapt to different conditions.