Unit 1: Nitrogen Deficiency Symptoms

1
Units
Lesson 2 Deficiency Symptoms of Primary Nutrients
Unit 1 Nitrogen Deficiency Symptoms

• After completing this Unit, you should be able
  to answer
• Under what conditions nitrogen deficiency results
  in sorghum?
• Describe the leaf symptoms due to nitrogen
  deficiency in sorghum?
• Why nitrogen deficiency symptoms are prominent
  only in older leaves?
• How the sorghum plants look in a nitrogen
  deficient field?

2
Units
Lesson 2 Deficiency Symptoms of Primary Nutrients
Unit 1 Nitrogen Deficiency Symptoms
Nitrogen deficiency generally results from
inadequate fertilizer application, or leaching
loss due to excessive rainfall. Leaching
occurs most commonly in sandy-textured plain
soils during periods of excessive
rainfall. Nitrogen is also lost through
volatilization from surface applications during
periods of hot, dry weather.
3
Units
Lesson 2 Deficiency Symptoms of Primary Nutrients
Unit 1 Nitrogen Deficiency Symptoms
Nitrogen deficient plants are stunted, pale green
to pale yellow, and grow more slowly
Fig.). Eventually, the affected leaves become
brownish, wither, die and hang down around the
lower stem.
4
Units
Lesson 2 Deficiency Symptoms of Primary Nutrients
Unit 1 Nitrogen Deficiency Symptoms
Yellowing or chlorosis appears first on the
lower leaves the upper leaves remain
green. The tendency of the young upper leaves
remaining green is due to nitrogen moving towards
the newly growing leaves.
Note the pale green, yellow, and brown lower
leaves.
5
Units
Lesson 2 Deficiency Symptoms of Primary Nutrients
Unit 1 Nitrogen Deficiency Symptoms
The plants will be stunted in growth and with
thinner stems. Greater red streaking can be seen
on the lower leaf sheaths of the nitrogen
deficient plant (left).
N deficient plant on left and normal plant on the
right side.
6
Units
Lesson 2 Deficiency Symptoms of Primary Nutrients
Unit 1 Nitrogen Deficiency Symptoms
Flowering of sorghum plants is delayed due to
nitrogen deficiency.
Plants on right have received no nitrogen
fertilizer and show delayed flowering.
7
Units
Lesson 2 Deficiency Symptoms of Primary Nutrients
Unit 1 Nitrogen Deficiency Symptoms
With this, the Unit 1 on Nitrogen Deficiency
Symptoms in this Lesson concludes. The next
Unit in this Lesson is about phosphorus
deficiency symptoms in sorghum. The last Unit
in this Lesson deal with potassium deficiency
symptoms in sorghum.