Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
TABLE 3.1
Summary of N Deficiency Symptoms in Principal Field Crop Plants
Crop Species
Description of Deficiency Symptoms
Reference
Rice
Reduced tillering, leaf area index and panicle density, and
yellowing of older leaves
Fageria et al. (2011a)
Wheat
Stunted growth, reduced tillering, and yellowing of older leaves
Wiese (1993)
Corn
Whole plant to be pale, yellowish green, and have spindly stalks.
Yellowing begins on the older, lower leaves and progresses up
the plant if the deficiency persists. V-shaped yellowing on the
tips of the leaves appears later
Voss (1993)
Sorghum
Plants deficient in N are usually stunted, spindly, and pale green
to pale yellow. N deficiency symptoms first appear on the older
or lower leaves and advance to younger (upper) leaves. A fairly
uniform pale or deep yellow color develops near the tips and
margins and progresses toward the base and midrib of the leaf.
Dark brown necrotic spots often develop when severe N
deficiency occurs
Clark (1993)
Sugarcane
Older leaves die back. Leaf blades of N-deficient plants turn
uniformly light green to yellow. Stalks become short and
slender, and the vegetative growth rate is reduced. The tips and
margins of older leaves become necrotic prematurely
Gascho et al. (1993)
Sugar beet
Overall yellowing of the leaves occurs when a plant first becomes
N deficient. Yellowing continues as the plant ages, accompanied
by wilting and an accelerated death rate of the older leaves.
Newly formed leaves in the center of the plant are much smaller
and narrower than older leaves and turn an intense green.
Leaves often lie nearly parallel to the soil surface, with the
petioles curved slightly upward
Ulrich et al. (1993)
Soybean
N-deficient plants become pale green. Later, the leaves turn
distinctly and uniformly yellow. Symptoms first appear on the
basal leaves and quickly spread to the upper parts. The plants
eventually defoliate and often are spindly and stunted
Sinclair (1993)
Peanut
Nitrogen deficiency in peanut plants is characterized by varying
degrees of foliar chlorosis. Young plants not yet adequately
colonized by bradyrhizobia usually appear lighter green than
normal. In severe cases, the entire leaf becomes a uniform, pale
yellow, and stems may be slender and elongated. As the plant
develops, lower older leaves are most affected because soluble
N from older leaves moves to new younger leaves. The stem
may appear reddish because of the accumulation of anthocyanin
pigments
Smith et al. (1993)
Cotton
Early and midseason N deficiency symptoms include a yellowish
green leaf color, which first appears on older leaves, and
reduced size of younger leaves. Plant height is reduced, few
vegetative branches develop, fruiting branches are short, and
many bolls are shed in the first 10-12 days after flowering.
When N deficiency occurs late in the season on plants with a
moderate load of maturing bolls, foliar symptoms appear as a
reddening in the middle of the canopy, and few bolls are
retained at late fruiting positions
Cassman (1993)
Dry bean
Deficiency symptoms appear as a uniformly pale green to yellow
discoloration of older leaves. Growth is reduced, and few
flowers develop or pods fill poorly
Hall and Schwartz (1993)
