Determining Plant Deficiencies

Spring 2007
MOBILE NUTRIENTS
Older or Lower leaves affected
Leaves light or dark green; generalized
Plants dark green,
some red or purple
Phosphorous
Plants light
green w. light
green or yellow
leaves. No
necrotic spotting
Nitrogen
Plants light
green; necrotic
spotting; pale
leaves scorched,
cupped, rolled
Molybdenum
Chlorosis, some spotting; localized
Interveinal Chlorosis;
Leaves red or dead
Magnesium
burned or spotted
leaf margin
Potassium
No interveinal chlorosis
Chlorotic and
necrotic
spotting; live
and dead
tissue
Loss of cell
turgor
Chloride
Dry weather
Coarse textured soils w lower
CEC
Reducing exchangeable Al
(by liming acid soils) reduces
competition with K,
increasing uptake
Ca and Mg go down as K
increases
Low temps restrict uptake
More soil aeration good
Semi arid regions

IMMOBILE NUTRIENTS
Younger leaves affected
By Sarah Lade
Soil Fertility
Terminal bud dead
Terminal bud alive; chlorosis
Young leaves light green
at base, chlorotic,
twisted, brittle; dieback
-hollow fruits
Boron
Terminal
leaves
hooked,
then turn
brown and
dieback
Calcium
Interveinal chlorosis
No Interveinal Chlorosis
Young leaves light
green; no spotting
-reddish color on
leaf undersides
Sulfur
Tips withered dead
Necrosis of leaf tips
(similar to K def.)
Veggies leaves lack
turgor, blue-grn cast,
chlorosis, no flowering
Copper
-Sharp
distinction
-Root and
shoot prod.
Reduced
-Root rot
Green
Margin,
yellow
leaf
Young leaves
Medium
leaves;
stunted
growth
Zinc
Manganese
Iron
-High pH
-calcareous
-arid
-Lime induced
Fe deficiency
occurs in wet
soils, low OM
-High Cu
Note lists are of factors that induce that deficiency
- Rosetting of
top leaves
-High pH
-Neutral and
calcareous
soils
-Cu Fe and
Mn inhibit Zn
uptake
-Insoluble
organic
complexes
reduce Zn
availability
-Excessively leached
-Coarse textured soils
-Increasing pH
decreased mineral
solubility, increased
absorption
-High Zn, Fe and P
-Liming decreaes
availability
-Excessively high
pH
-Excessive H2O
and poor aeration
-Low Mn avail. In
high OM peats
-High levels of Cu,
Fe or Zn
-Dry weather
-increasing soil pH
Liming = temporary B
def.
-K fertilization in
sensitive crops
Coarse textured
Well drained
Low pH
Coarse textured,
humid region soils
High water volume

Leaching (less in
acidic soils)
Alkaline soils
Low soil temp