Nutrient deficiencies Common nutritional disorders in horticultural crops Nutritional disorders and their corrective measures Physiological disorders and their remedies

1. Nutrient Deficiencies and Physiological Disorders in
Horticultural crops
Dr. K. Vanangamudi
Formerly Dean (Agriculture), Agricultural College and Research Institute, Coimbatore;
Dean, Adhiparasakthi Agricultural College, Kalavai;
Professor & Head, Seed Science & Technology, TNAU, Coimbatore.
Dr. M. Prabhu
Associate Professor, Horticultural College and Research Institute for Women, Tirchirapalli.
M. Kokila
PG Scholar, Department of Seed Science & Technology, TNAU, Coimbatore.
1. Nutrient deficiencies
• Zn, Mn and B deficiencies are common in sweet orange, acid lime, banana,
guava and papaya.
Technical terms
• Bronzing - Development of bronze or copper colour on the tissue
• Chlorosis - Loss of chlorophyll resulting in loss of green colour leading to
pale yellow tissues
• Eg: Due to the deficiency of Mn, K, Zn, Fe, Mg, S and N
• Decline - Onset of general weakness as indicated by loss of vigour, poor
growth and lowproductivity
• Die-back - Collapse of the growing tip affecting the younger leaves
• Firing - Burning of tissue accompanied with dark brown or reddish brown
colour
• Lesion - Localised wound of the leaf/stem tissue accompanied with loss of
normalcolour
• Necrosis - Death of tissue
• Eg. Due to the deficiency of Mg,K, Zn, Ca and Mo.
• Scorching -Burning oftissueaccompanied with light brown colour resulting
insalt injury
• Mottling - Surface marked with coloured spots (anthocyanin develops)
• Eg. Due to deficiency of N, Mg, P, S

2. 1.1. Common nutritional disorders in horticultural crops
Element Disorder Crop Symptoms
Boron (B) Brown heart Turnip Rotting of centre of root
Heart rot Beets Death of centre of crown, rotting of
centre of root
Hollow stem Cauliflower Rotting of centre of stem
Bitter pit Apple Decayor corking ofthe flesh under
the skin
Calcium(Ca) Blossom-end rot Tomato, Pepper Decay of the blossom-end of the
fruit
Manganese (Mn) Speckled yellows Sugar beet Chlorosis between leaf
veins, inward curling ofleaves
Marsh spot Pea Brown area in centre of seed
Little leaf Apple Small, malformed leaves, shortened
internodes
Molybdenum (Mo) Whiptail Cauliflower Reduction or suppression of leaf
blades
1.2. Nutritional disorders and their corrective measures
Deficiency Soil application (kg ha-1
) Foliar spray
Nitrogen Application of 50 kg urea or application of Spraying of 1% urea
50 kg DAP
Phosphorus Application of 25-50 kg DAP ha-1
Spraying of 2% DAP
Potassium Application of calcium chloride at 60 to Spraying of KCl 1%
80 kg ha-1
or CAN at 50 kg ha-1
Calcium Application of calcium chloride at 60 to
80 kg ha-1
or CAN at 50 kg ha-1
Spraying of 0.5% CaNO3 or
CaCl2 or calcium ammonium
nitrate
Sulphur Application of gypsum at 50 kg ha-1
Spraying of 0.5% gypsum
Magnesium Application of magnesium sulphate 25- Sprayingof 0.5%MgSO4 +1%
50 kg ha-1
urea
Iron Application of ferrous sulphate 50-100 kg ha-1
Spraying of FeSO4 1 to 2%
Zinc Application of zinc sulphate 25 kg Spraying of 0.5% ZnSO4
Manganese Application of 25 kg manganese sulphate ha-1
Spraying of 0.5% MnSO4
Copper Application of 5 to 10 kg copper sulphate ha-1
Spraying of 0.1% CuSO4
Boron Application of sodium tetraborate or borax at Spraying of borax at 0.05%
10 kg ha-1

3. 2. Physiological disorders and their remedies
Crop Disorder Cause Remedies
Banana Choke throat
Leaves yellowing and tissues
killed
Pseudostem bunches hangs
down and elongated
Inflorescence comes out and
gets stuck up at the throat
Kottaivazhai (seeded banana)
Low temperature
Absence of auxin,
Tolerant varieties like
Kullan
Shelter belts using
Casuarina or
Eucalyptus
Spray 2, 4-D 25 ppm
Serious malady in Poovan
Yield reduction 10-25%.
Conical and illfilled fruits
Pseudostem exhibits streaks,
striations and blotches
Parthenocarpic fruits
gibberellin and GA 100ppm
Mango Black tip
Depressed yellow spots at
distal end of fruit and increase
in size, become brown and
finallyblack
Fruits never reach full maturity
and drop earlier
Spongy tissue in fruit
Reported in Alphonso, mallika,
Sop, vanraj, fernardin,
suvarnarekha
Coal fumes of brick
kilns containing
sulphur dioxide,
acetylene and carbon
monoxide
Unhydrolyzed starch
due to physiological
and biochemical
Sprayingof 2%sodium
carbonate or 0.6%
borax
Post-harvest dip of
fruits in calcium
solution
Non edible sour patch developed disturbances due to
in the mesocarp and unfit for heat in mature fruit
human consumption at pre-and post-harvest
stages
Malformation/Vegetative Incidence of fungi Application of
malformation Fusarium moniliforme, 200 ppm NAA
Swelling of buds in leafaxils or mites, nutritional and Early deblossoming
at apical meristem of younger soil moisture factors. Spray 0.2% captan +
plants show compact rosette- alar 0.1% or
like shootlets with tiny leaf malathion 0.1% at
rudiments witches broom 10 days interval.
appearance.
Floral malformation
Converting panicle to a barren
one. Affected panicle, appears
like a compact mass, being
more green and sturdy
Yellow pulp
Excess K in relation to
N and S deficiency

4. Goose flesh
Ripe fruits show a wilted and
shriveled appearance and the
peal turns to brown.
Degrain
Dropping of ripe fruits from
bunch due to rotting of pedicel
Citrus Granulation, crystallization Luxuriant growth, Two to three sprays of
(vesicle) and dry end rootstock and variety, NAA (300 ppm) in
Affected juice sacs become frequent irrigation, August, September and
hard and dry, fruits become mineral constituents October. Spraying of
greyin colour, enlarged in size, in plant tissue, time GA 15 ppm followed
have flat and insipid taste and of harvest, exposure to by NAA 300 ppm in
assume a granular texture sunlight October and November
Less extractable juice as most
of it turns into gelatinous mass
Low pulp/rag ratio
Creasing or puffiness Application of GA
Appearance of random grooves 20 ppm
on fruit surface is caused by
climatic and nutritional factors.
Degreening Dip the fruits in ethrel
Observed in lemon. 2500 ppm
The matured fruit remaining
green.
Splitting Store in poly bag
Splitting of fruits and premature Light irrigation in
drop due to variation in the drought season.
environmental factors.
Grapes Flower bud, flower and Improper nitrogen Making 0.5 cm wide
berrydrop application, improper girdle from the trunk
fertilization, ambient about 10 days before
temperature, heavy full bloom. Judicious
crop load, uneven application of N
ripeningand fertilizers
endogenousauxin Spraying 500 ppm
deficiency at a ethrel. Dipping of
particular stage of bunches in NAA
berry development 100 ppm 10 days
before ripening. Avoid
heavy irrigation at
bloom
Shot berry Dipping bunches at set
Undeveloped and undefined stage in ethepon 25
berries. Excessive number of ppm.
bunches on vines leading to
high crop load results in shot
berry.

5. Water berry
Due to flaccidness of berries
in a bunch leads to wrinkled
Dipping in K2SO4 1%
and CaSO4 1%.
withered soft water, lack sugars.
Pink berry Spray 0.2% ascorbic
Common in Thompson seedless acidand 0.25%sodium
and Tas-A-Ganesh wherein diethyldithio-
offset-pink odour develops in carbamate.
few berries at harvesting turns
black.
Blossom-end rot Defective calcium Spray of 1.0 per cent
Black sunken spot develops at nutrition and calciumnitrate
the blossom-end of the berry assimilation
which later on spreads with
water-soaked region
Guava Die-back
Infects young as well as the old Complex nutritional Application of 1.8 kg
bearing trees. Withering of disorder lime or gypsum
lowermost branch of the tree
from top downwards
Growing tip turns dark brown
and necrotic areas extend
backwards
Bronzing Apply 20 kg of FYM,
P and K, the nutrients are 1kgofSSP,0.5kgMOP
mobilised from older leaves to
the fruits, causing bronze
and 100g ZnSO4 /tree
Spraying of DAP 0.3%
coloured leaves which results and SOP 0.5% is to be
in reduced photosynthate given 45 days after the
transfer to the roots and emergence of leaves
reduced uptake.
Sapota Fruit drop Spraying NAA and
10-12 per cent of the total
fruits set develop and retain
GA3 at 25 to 100 ppm
duringflowering
until maturity
Pomegranate Fruit cracking Boron, calcium, Guleshan, Khog,
potassium deficiency Kazaki, Francis, Sur
in young fruits Anar, Sirvan are
Variations in soil resistant varieties
moisture content and
atmospheric humidity Spraying calcium
compounds or GA3 at
120 ppm
Internal break down
It is due to disintegration of Use pinhead as vapour
arils. It is serious in ambi-bahar. guard.
This occurs 90 days of anthesis Boron 0.2% spray
and more acute after 140 days. Harvesting 120-135
days after fruit set.