What deficiency is displayed when corn have yellow leaves? (2023)

What causes yellow leaves in corn?

Yellowish leaves or interveinal leaf striping in corn early in the season is generally caused by reduced nutrient uptake due to restricted root growth. Restricted root growth can result from air and soil temperatures, saturated or compacted soils, and root damage.

Sulphur. Sulphur is a component in the formation of chlorophyll. Deficiencies result in yellow leaves and stunted growth.

The solution is to side dress with a high nitrogen fertilizer. Cool weather can also make corn plant leaves turn yellow. Again, this is due to a lack of nitrogen. When soil is cool and wet, the corn has trouble absorbing nitrogen from the soil.

Potassium deficiency symptoms in corn appear first on the lower leaves because K is easily moved within the plant from older to younger leaves. Leaf symptoms are a yellowing to necrosis (tissue death) of the outer leaf margins. These symptoms begin at the leaf tip and progress down the margin toward the leaf base.

Nitrogen (N): N deficient leaves show up first on the oldest leaves which turn pale or yellowish green and later in the season the leaf can develop an inverted “V” or spear shaped discoloration starting at the tip of the leaf and extending toward the leaf base.

Symptoms of excess nitrogen include thickened and sometimes cupped leaves with atypically deep green color. Overfertilization can cause leaves to turn brown, gray, dark green, or yellow at margins and tips or overall. Affected foliage may wilt temporarily or die and drop prematurely.

To review, plants suffering from nitrogen deficiency tend to be pale yellow-green in color and have slow or stunted growth. Yellowing from lack of nitrogen starts at the older leaves and moves on to newer leaves as the deficiency continues with yellowing patterns varying by crop.

Magnesium Deficiency

Signs: Leaves yellow with white stripes along still green veins. It usually first appears on lower limbs. Treatment: Add compost or fertilizer rich in magnesium sulfate (commonly known as Epsom salts) to the soil.

With too little water, plants can't take up essential nutrients. Yellow leaves result. To fix or prevent water issues, start with porous, well-draining soil. If you grow in containers, choose pots with good drainage holes and keep saucers free of excess water.

What does zinc deficiency look like in corn?

A deficiency of zinc in corn is characterized by the development of broad bands of striped tissue on each side of the midrib of the leaf (Figure 1). These stripes begin on the part of the leaf closest to the stalk and appear first on the upper part of the plant. A zinc-deficient corn plant also appears to be stunted.

Diagnosis of Sulfur Deficiency

When the corn plant is small, mild sulfur deficiency symptoms show up as interveinal chlorosis of the leaves emerging from the whorl (Fig. 1 and 2)). As the plant ages and the deficiency becomes more pronounced, the entire leaf turns yellow with slightly greener veins (Fig. 3).

Symptoms of P deficiency on older corn include stunted plants and yellowing of the leaf margins of older leaves. In addition, stalks may be thin and short, and maturity can be delayed. Soil testing or tissue testing for P levels may confirm deficiency.

Deficient plants often become pale green to yellowish-green due to inhibited chloroplast and chlorophyll synthesis. Leaves start to wither and dry out, turning yellowish brown to brown.

Nitrate deficiency

Without nitrates, the amount of chlorophyll in leaves reduces. This means leaves turn a pale green or yellow colour. This reduces the plant's ability to photosynthesise and grow properly, which reduces the farmers' crop yield .

Most of the time, if your plant's leaves turn yellow, it's a sign that you're either underwatering or overwatering it. Plants need water to survive, and if they're not getting enough of it, they'll drop leaves in order to conserve their supply.

Nitrogen deficiency can be corrected by applying either organic or inorganic fertilisers, but nitrate or ammonium-based fertilisers work the most quickly. Any general-purpose “grow” formula will usually provide enough nitrogen to correct major deficiencies.

Plants with a nitrogen deficiency will absorb the nutrient immediately once it becomes available. The coloration of the plant will improve, turning a healthy green. Severely affected leaves will be unable to recover.

Nitrogen (N) deficiency appears on lower leaves as leaf yellowing and tissue die-off, which starts at the leaf tip and forms a V-shape pointing down the mid-rib of the leaf – called “firing” of the leaves.. Symptoms start on the lowest leaves and extend up the stalk with the severity of deficiency (Figure below).

Does calcium deficiency cause yellow leaves?

Symptoms of a deficiency

The older, larger leaves just above the bottommost ones will show the first symptoms. Yellow/brown spots occur, which are often surrounded by a sharp brown outlined edge. In addition, the growth is curbed and in serious cases the tops are smaller than normal and do not close.

Leaf midribs may be yellow instead of their normal green. Potassium deficiency in broadleaves causes leaves to turn yellow and then brown at the tips and margins and between veins. Older leaves are affected first and can entirely discolor, crinkle, curl, roll along edges, or die and drop prematurely.

Generally when a houseplant leaf turns yellow, that leaf is dying. Chlorophyll gives a leaf its green color. When the leaf loses its chlorophyll, the plant abandons it and begins to absorb leftover nutrients from the leaf. That's why once the leaf turns yellow, you generally can't make it turn back green again.

People often use too much fertilizer to make their plants grow faster. The excess salt in the soil from too much fertilizer “burns” the leaves causing them to turn yellow. In the case of houseplants, change the soil or leach it with large amounts of water to correct the balance.

If your plant's leaves are turning yellow, it might have a sulfate deficiency. If your plant's leaves are turning yellow but the veins remain green, it might have a magnesium deficiency. Epsom salts are a great solution for both of these problems.