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Nutrient Deficiency Symptoms



>Michael Irlbeck writes:
>
>Anybody know of specific symptoms or signs to look for when suspecting macro 
>nutrient deficiency?
>

Here is a table I adapted from
 Jacobsen, Niels. AQUARIUM PLANTS (1979). Blandford Press Ltd. 

It extends the information recently provided on the digest by David Whittaker
 about mobile and immobile elements.

Other useful information can be obtained from 
 Krombholz, Paul.  "Mineral Nutrition of Aquatic Plants, Part 1" 
 THE AQUATIC GARDENER (1993), V6 n5.

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	COMMON SYMPTOMS OF NUTRIENT DEFICIENCY IN AQUATIC PLANTS
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	    Leaves to first
Element     show deficiency	 Symptom
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Nitrogen	Old	    Leaves turn yellowish (*)

Phosphorus	Old	    Premature leaf fall-off
			    Similar to nitrogen deficiency

Calcium		New	    Damage and die off of growing points
			    Yellowish leaf edges

Magnesium	Old	    Yellow spots (*)

Potassium	Old         Yellow areas, 
			    then withering of leaf edges and tips

Sulfur		New	    Similar to nitrogen deficiency

Iron		New	    Leaves turn yellow
			    Greenish nerves enclosing yellow leaf tissue
			    First seen in fast growing plants  

Manganese 	(**)	    Dead yellowish tissue between leaf nerves

Copper		(**)	    Dead leaf tips and withered edges

Zinc		Old	    Yellowish areas between nerves,
			    Starting at leaf tip and edges

Boron		New 	    Dead shoot tips, new side shoots also die

Molybdenum	Old	    Yellow spots between leaf nerves,
				then brownish areas along edges.
				Inhibited flowering
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(*)  The plants may also become reddish from the presence 
     of the red pigment anthocyanin.

(**) Although Jacobsen does not differentiate between new and old leaves, 
     David Whittacker reports from a hydoponics book that boron, calcium,
     copper, iron, manganese and sulfur are immobile elements and whose
     deficiencies affect new leaves.
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--Neil