Element deficiencies

Detecting an element deficiency in a crop can be quite difficult, but it is essential to know whether there are any shortages and treat the plants in good time. A deficiency can lead to a poor or failed crop, says Bill Kerr.

- Bill Kerr

Some element deficiencies are easy to pick up; others are confusing because the symptoms may be very similar to those of other deficiencies. In some cases, toxicity from herbicide residue may also look similar to nutrient shortages.

A PATCHY PROBLEM

Firstly, note the pattern of symptoms in the land. A deficiency of trace minerals never manifests uniformly; deficiencies always develop initially in patches.

If you start to see such patches and cannot figure out the problem, take soil samples from the bad patches and another from areas where the crop is growing well. Using the results of the analysis, you should be able to narrow down the range of possibilities.