After successful completion of this Unit, you should be able to answer:

1. Under what conditions nitrogen deficiency results in sorghum?

2. Describe the leaf symptoms due to nitrogen deficiency in sorghum?

3. Why nitrogen deficiency symptoms are prominent only in older leaves?

4. How the sorghum plants look in a nitrogen deficient field?

Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics

Lesson 2. Deficiency Symptoms of Primary Nutrients

Course on Sorghum ProductionPractices

Module VI: Plant Nutrient Deficiency Symptoms

Unit 1: Nitrogen Deficiency Symptoms

Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics

Lesson 2. Deficiency Symptoms of Primary Nutrients

Course on Sorghum ProductionPractices

Module VI: Plant Nutrient Deficiency Symptoms

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.

Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics

Lesson 2. Deficiency Symptoms of Primary Nutrients

Course on Sorghum ProductionPractices

Module VI: Plant Nutrient Deficiency Symptoms

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.

Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics

Lesson 2. Deficiency Symptoms of Primary Nutrients

Course on Sorghum ProductionPractices

Module VI: Plant Nutrient Deficiency Symptoms

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.

Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics

Lesson 2. Deficiency Symptoms of Primary Nutrients

Course on Sorghum ProductionPractices

Module VI: Plant Nutrient Deficiency Symptoms

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).

Nitrogen deficient plant on left and normal plant on the right side.

Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics

Lesson 2. Deficiency Symptoms of Primary Nutrients

Course on Sorghum ProductionPractices

Module VI: Plant Nutrient Deficiency Symptoms

Unit 1: Nitrogen Deficiency Symptoms

Flowering of sorghum plants is delayed due to nitrogen deficiency (Fig.).

Plants on right have received no nitrogen fertilizer and show delayed flowering.

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.

Select Unit 2 in Lesson 2 from Module VI contents

Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics

Lesson 2. Deficiency Symptoms of Primary Nutrients

Course on Sorghum ProductionPractices

Module VI: Plant Nutrient Deficiency Symptoms

Unit 1: Nitrogen Deficiency Symptoms