Name: FE ELENOR P. NEONES.

Date Submitted: November 9,2021 Score:

Soil Fertility Evaluation: Nutrient Deficiency Symptoms

Exercise 3

Introduction
Do you know? Plants require 16 essential nutrients to grow normally.
Nutrient deficiency occurs when a plant lacks sufficient quantity of an essential nutrient required for
growth. Without sufficient essential nutrients, plants will not grow well and show various symptoms to
express the deficiency.
The correct diagnosis of nutritional deficiencies is important in maintaining optimum plant growth. The
recognition of these symptoms allows growers to “fine tune” their nutritional regime as well as minimize
stress conditions. However, the symptoms expressed are often dependent on the species of plant grown,
stage of growth or other controlling factors. Therefore, growers should become familiar with nutritional
deficiencies on a crop-by-crop basis.
Visual symptoms: While visual symptoms of nutrient deficiencies can be helpful, they do not always
provide an accurate description of the problem.
For instance, a nutrient deficiency does not necessarily provide a visual symptom.
Nor is the presence of a symptom always sufficient. Distinguishing between a particular nutrient deficiency
and mechanical, insect, disease, and pesticide damage can be difficult.
The diagnosis of nutrient deficiencies can be a key to optimizing plant growth. However, this technique is
very subjective and requires careful observation. Plants respond to nutrient deficient conditions in several
different ways. Growers must become familiar with these on a crop-by-crop basis. Photographs and record
keeping can be very useful tools in the diagnosis of nutrient deficiencies.

Objectives
Identify and determine common plant nutrient deficiency and toxicity symptoms of the crops nearby;
Acknowledge potential limitations of visual diagnosis; and
Learn how to use/follow a key for identifying deficiency symptoms.
Methodology

I’ve Record keeping and photographs tools for assisting in identifying of nutrient deficiencies. Photographs
allow growers to compare symptoms to previous situations in a step-by-step approach to problem solving.
Accurate records help in establish Diagnosing or confirming the diagnosis of visible symptom. These
deficiencies can be alleviated through visual diagnosis, which help identifying deficiency symptoms of
nutrients. But, certain precautionary measures are to be adopted in visual diagnosis for determining the
specific nutrient deficiency. I’ve trust my visual diagnosing in identifying the deficiency of each plant in that
way I have succeed Diagnosing or confirming the diagnosis of visible symptoms.
Results an discussion
The said activity was conducted according to my competency in identifying the nutrient deficiency through
visual diagnosing and using photography and record. Base on my findings Each symptom must be related
to some function of the nutrient in the plant. A given nutrient may have several functions, which makes it
difficult to explain the physiological reason for a particular deficiency symptom. For example, when N is
deficient, the leaves of most plants become pale green or light yellow. When the quantity of N is limiting,
chlorophyll production is reduced, and the yellow pigments, carotene and xanthophylls are shown through
a number of nutrient deficiencies produced such as pale green or yellow leaves, and the deficiency must be
further related to a particular leaf pattern or location on the plant. Apparent visual deficiency symptoms
can be caused by many factors other than a specific nutrient stress. Precautions in interpreting nutrient
deficiency.
Data to be gathered:

Nutrient deficiency Name of plant/photo Visual observations of

documentation toxicity/deficiency symptoms

Mobile nutrients

Nitrogen (N) Taro Upper leaves are light green where

lower leaves are yellow

Phosphorus (P) Banana Darkening around edge of leaves,

small or absent of flowers

Potassium (K) Lemon Leaf margin turn chlorotic and then

necrotic. Tip and marginal burn
starting on matures leaves.

Magnesium (Mg) Bougainvillea The chlorotic interveinal yellow

patches
toward the center of the leaf with
the margin being last to turn yellow
Molybdenum (Mo) Cucumber Characterized by a whitish-tan
interveinal chlorosis accompanied by
marginal leaf burn in severe cases.
Older leaves are affected first. Plants
are usually severely stunted.

Chlorine Lemon Wilting of leaves at margins and

highly branched root system

Immobile nutrients

Iron (Fe) Cassava Leaves pale. No spots. Major veins

green

Zinc (Zn) Citrus Leaves pale, narrow and short veins

dark green.

Manganese (Mn) Manggo Veins and venules dark green and

reticulated
Copper (Cu) Guava Wilt and drop

Boron (B) Guava Discoloration of leaf buds, breaking

and dropping of buds.

Nickel (Ni) Guava Dwarfed internodes, distorted bud

shape, brittle shoots, cold-injury-like
death of over

Calcium (CA) Pepper Plant dark green, drying start from

the tip.
 Sulfur (S) Bamboo leaves Cupping of leaves and around stem

Conclusion
I conclude that Lack of an essential nutrient element in plants will result in expression of nutrient
deficiencies and can be determined from visual symptoms. The correct diagnosis of the deficiency is
important to correct the problem. In general initial symptoms of nutrient deficiency is expressed either in
the new or older leaves. For immobile nutrients in plants like zinc, iron, copper, manganese, boron,
chlorine, nickel, calcium and sulfur, the deficiency symptoms first show up in the younger leaves.
Deficiency symptoms for mobile nutrients in plants like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium
are first expressed in older leaves. Molybdenum deficiency symptoms in plants first appear between the
old and new leaves.
This activity will be more reliable if the student was given a chance to use the appropriate tools for
evaluation.

References
https://www.nparks.gov.sg/nparksbuzz/oct-issue-2020/gardening/identifying-nutrient-deficiency-in-plants
https://landresources.montana.edu/soilfertility/nutrientdeficient/
https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/mauisoil/c_evaluation.aspx
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamental/greenhouse-management/diagnosing-nutritional-
deficiencies/