Can zinc deficiency be visually recognized?
The main types of visible deficiency symptoms are: • Chlorosis – which is the change of leaf colour from the normal green chlorophyll colour to pale green and yellow, or even white, due to the reduced amount, or absence, of chlorophyll. In many cases in zinc deficient plants the chlorosis appears between the ribs in monocotyledons (grains and grasses) and between the veins of dicotyledon (broad leaf) plants and this is referred to as interveinal chlorosis. • Necrotic Spots on Leaves – this can occur in areas of chlorosis due to the death of the leaf tissue in small concentrated areas but the necrotic spots can grow in size as the plant ages if the deficiency is not treated. • Bronzing of Leaves – this symptom is also related to chlorosis and the yellow areas tend to turn bronze coloured. • Rosetting of Leaves – occurs when the internodes on the stems of dicotyledon crops fail to elongate normally and so the leaves form close together in a cluster instead of being spread out between nod
