Question

If a plant shows symptom which could be due to deficiency of more than one nutrient, how would you find out experimentally the real deficient mineral element?

Answer 1

In plants, the deficiency of a nutrient can cause multiple symptoms.

For eg the deficiency of nitrogen (N) causes chlorosis, dormancy of lateral buds, delaying of flowers.

In a similar way, deficiency of a nutrient can cause the same symptom as that caused by the deficiency of another nutrient. For eg, necrosis is caused by a deficiency of calcium, magnesium, copper, and potassium. Also, different plants respond in a different way to deficiency of the same nutrient.

Hence, to identify the nutrient deficiency in a plant all the symptoms developed in its different parts must be studied and compared to actually know the real deficient mineral.