Agronomy 354
Key to the Classical Symptoms of Various
Nutrient Deficiencies
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Deficiency Symptoms                                                                                            Nutrient ______________________________________________________________________________

a. The dominant symptom is chlorotic foliage.

  b. Entire leaf blades are chlorotic.

     c. Only the lower leaves are chlorotic followed by necrosis and leaf drop.          Nitrogen

    cc. Leaves on all parts of plant are affected.                                                       Sulfur

 bb. Interveinal chlorosis of leaves.

    c. Only recently mature or older leaves exhibit interveinal chlorosis.                    Magnesium

  cc. Only younger leaves exhibit interveinal chlorosis.

       This is the only symptom.                                                                                Iron

      d. In addition to interveinal chlorosis on young leaves, gray or tan
          necrotic spots develop in chlorotic areas.                                                     Manganese

    dd. While younger leaves have interveinal chlorosis, the tips and lobes
          of leaves remain green followed by veinal chlorosis and rapid,
          extensive necrosis of leaf blade.                                                                   Copper

  ddd. Young leaves are very small, sometimes missing leaf blades
           altogether and internodes are short giving a rosette appearance.                   Zinc

aa. Leaf chlorosis is not the dominant symptom.

  b. Symptoms appear at base of plant.

      c. At first, all leaves are dark green followed by stunted growth. Purple
          pigment often develops in leaves, particularly older leaves.                            Phosphorus

    cc. Margins of older leaves become chlorotic and then burn, or small
         chlorotic spots progressing to necrosis appear scattered on old
         leaf blades.                                                                                                   Potassium

 bb. Symptoms appear at top of plant.

     c. Terminal buds die giving rise to lateral vegetative shoots. Younger
         leaves become very thick, leathery, and chlorotic. Rust color cracks and
         corking occur on young stems, petioles, and flower stalks. Young
         leaves crinkled.                                                                                             Boron

  cc. Margins of young leaves fail to form sometimes yielding long thin
        leaves. Growing point ceases to develop leaving a blunt end. Light
        green color or uneven chlorosis of young tissue. Root growth is poor
        in that roots are short and thickened.                                                              Calcium
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