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A FEW IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS WHEN YOU DIAGNOSE NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES IN YOUR CROPS To be healthy, plants need large amounts of some nutrients and small amounts of others. Nutrients needed in large amounts are: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulphur. Nutrients needed in small amounts are: iron, zinc, copper, boron, molybdenum, manganese, and chlorine. Plants obtain these nutrients from the soil. If there are not enough nutrients in the soil, the plant will not be able to get enough nutrients. It can be difficult to diagnose specific nutrient deficiencies because: Many nutrient deficiencies can look the same A plant may not be able to get other nutrients if it does not have enough of one nutrient Typical symptoms may not occur if there is more than one problem Too much of a nutrient can cause a plant to be unhealthy Plants may not show symptoms of a nutrient deficiency until it is too late Tips to help you diagnose visual symptoms: Know what the healthy plant looks like Carefully identify where the symptoms appear: o Are the problems on the new leaves or old leaves? o Are the problems on the edges of leaves or along veins? Compare the symptoms to a chart (like the cover) or a picture Consider other factors such as disease or bad weather that might cause the problem If possible, use leaf or soil analyses to confirm difficult visual diagnoses Talk with other farmers or agricultural extension agents Contact a resource person listed below *Be sure to follow the application procedure when you apply fertilizers. Consult an extension agent to learn the correct procedure. Improper application can burn the seeds or damage plants and result in low yields. RESOURCES Rocks for Crops C/o Peter van Straaten University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 Telephone: 1-519-824-4120 ext 52454 Email: [email protected] http://rocksforcrops.lrs.uoguelph.ca/ World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) C/o Bashir Jama United Nations Avenue, Gigiri PO Box 30677-00100 GPO Nairobi, Kenya Telephone: +254 20 722 4000 Email: [email protected] http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) C/o Ms. Eva Gacheru Kiboko Research Centre P.O. Box 12, Makindu, Kenya Telephone: 045-22366/7/8 Email: [email protected] http://www.kari.org/ This calendar was sponsored by: _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ © 2005 Christine Gibb and Heidi Renkema, Rocks for Crops