Are you noticing your crops grow healthy at the initial stage, but slow down later with reduced flowering and yield? You are not alone, many farmers face micronutrient deficiency in plants which slows growth and reduces yield. Though they are required in small amounts, they can create a great impact on the healthy yield.
When the soil lacks these nutrients, crops struggle to absorb other essential nutrients effectively. Understanding their role in high-volume yield and best practices will help in growing high-quality crops in the field.
In this blog, you can find out the leading cause for micronutrient deficiency in plants, early symptoms, how they affect healthy yield, treatment, and best practices, so that you can implement the best strategy in your farm.
What are Micronutrients in Plants?
Micronutrients are the trace elements that play a powerful role in keeping crops strong and healthy. They are essential nutrients that support routine development in crops. Micronutrients nourish plants, supporting growth, strong roots, and fresh leaves and fruits.
Even small quantities of micronutrients can yield significant benefits in promoting chlorophyll formation, boosting enzyme activity, and improving flowering and fruit formation. Understanding the importance of micronutrients in plant growth helps farmers improve their yield quality.
Not only that, but it acts as a backbone for healthy and high-yielding crops. With the help of micronutrients, plants can effectively absorb other nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Some of the notable micronutrients
- Zinc (Zn)
- Iron (Fe)
- Boron (B)
- Manganese (Mn)
- Copper (Cu)
Micronutrient Deficiency Symptoms in Plants
The symptoms of micronutrient deficiency in plants often show up first on the leaves. Many Indian farmers may notice slow growth, yellowing leaves, or weak flowering in their crops. These could be common signs of micronutrient deficiency in plants. When the soil lacks key nutrients, plants show visible changes in their leaves, stems, and fruits.
Below are some common micronutrient deficiencies in crops. You may find it due to different micronutrient deficiencies in plants.
Zinc deficiency
Crops might just stop growing tall and stay short, looking weak and dull. Leaves will turn pale, some are even dried a bit, with those strange light patches right between leaf veins. Paddy or maize farmers have probably seen this especially when the weather is too rainy or soil got heavy water.
Iron deficiency
The symptoms are at the younger leaves. Veins are still green but redo the lead, if it becomes yellow. Then slowly the leaves lose their healthy look. This happens mostly in sugarcane, groundnut, and citrus trees.
Boron deficiency
If your plants have poor flowering, it might be a symptom of micronutrient deficiency in plants, especially Boron. Farmers can notice dull flowers or fewer flowers. Sometimes crops produce cracked fruit and not healthy ones. This problem is common in cauliflower fields, coconut and in banana groves.
Manganese deficiency
In manganese deficiency, crops seem tired, and leaves have sprinkled yellow spots. Crops which are cultivated in too dry areas are easily prone to Manganese deficiency. Cotton and soybeans are usually affected with this deficiency .
Copper deficiency
When crops face Copper deficiency, plants show poor grain setting and produce low quality yield. Moreover, farmers can notice that leaf tips drying up, looking rough and lifeless. In India cereals and pulses are mostly affected with Copper deficiency.
If your crops show any of these symptoms, you have micronutrient deficiency in plants. The plants have been struggling to produce healthy and high-yielding products.
According to the Government of India soil health card, Indian crops show 39% Zinc deficiency, 29% Iron deficiency, 37% Boron deficiency, 12% Manganese deficiency, and 5% Copper deficiency.
Causes of Micronutrient Deficiency in Plants
Over the years, Indian farming has faced challenges due to soil micronutrient deficiencies in soil. This is a gradual issue that affects crop health and yield. Farming practices play a critical role in it.
Advanced cultivation habits may reduce the natural balance of nutrients in the soil. Here, you can understand some of the key reasons behind the micronutrient deficiency in plants.
- Overuse of chemical fertilizers for a long time leads to soil depletion. This affects the beneficial microbes in the soil and restricts micronutrient absorption. Using NPK fertilizers alone on the crops repeatedly may support plants’ growth fast, but it lacks the micronutrients that plants also require in small quantities. Due to this, they may lack a natural nutrient balance and their health.
- Harvesting the same crop in every season causes the soil to lose its balance. Some farmers repeatedly farm the same crop, causing the land to lose micronutrients, and now they have no time to replenish them.
- Applying low organic manure and compost causes micronutrient deficiency in plants. Some farmers prefer chemical fertilizers and lower organic matter. It will lead to affecting soil health and its ability to hold the transfer of micronutrients naturally.
- The imbalance between acid and alkaline makes the micronutrients unavailable for crop roots. Even if the micronutrients are available in the soil, the imbalanced pH level restricts their availability.
- Excess water supply or improper drainage washes away all micronutrients in the field and blocks their absorption.
The above farming practices cause micronutrient deficiency in plants. This will adversely affect crop yield and profits.
Effects of Micronutrient Deficiency on Crop Yield
In Indian farming, we can observe that it depends on crops like paddy, wheat, maize, sugarcane, cotton, pulses, and vegetables. These crops can face micronutrient deficiency, leading to low-quality harvests. Let’s see how micronutrient deficiency in plants affects crop yield.
- Plants with zinc deficiency may produce small grains in smaller quantities. In India, paddy and maize generally have these issues.
- Due to iron deficiency, they show yellowing in greens and weak stem growth.
- Plants which have low or a lack of Boron deficiency produce fewer fruits, poor fruiting, and reduced seed formation in crops like cauliflower, banana, and coconut.
- Manganese or copper deficiency shows weakened stems and branches, which cause poor flowering in cotton, cereals, and pulse crops.
These problems often push farmers to use more chemical fertilizers to get higher yields. However, this increases their farming costs and reduces overall profit. Over time, poor soil health will produce poor and fewer quantities of products in the future.
Micronutrient Deficiency Treatment and Management Practices
Generally, the micronutrient deficiency in plants, the early signs and symptoms of crop diseases in India go unnoticed by farmers. After experiencing poor crop yields or major plant damage, they identified the cause. To overcome micronutrient deficiency in plants, common awareness and early prevention are essential. It protects crops from adverse reactions and improves healthy yield and income for farmers.
Regular crop and soil inspection
- Recognizing symptoms of micronutrient deficiency in plants early can help save crops from serious damage.
- It shows the key symptoms at the initial stage. So that farmers can take immediate action against the effects.
- The corrective steps include the right dosage mixture of micronutrients and applying it to the plants through foliar sprays or soil applications.
Right Fertilizer Mix for Strong and Healthy Crops
- Using balanced fertilizers along with NPK application in the right proportion ensures essential micronutrient supply to plants.
- Adopting farmyard manure, vermicompost, bio-fertilizers and other organic fertilizers boosts the soil's health and enhances its ability to hold micronutrients effectively.
- Moreover, adding fertilizers which are rich in micronutrients such as Zinc sulfate, Ferrous sulfate, Borax, Manganese sulfate, Copper oxychloride give direct benefit to the crops.
Crop Rotation to Restore Soil Micronutrients
- Following crop rotation, harvest can induce the soil to regain micronutrients. Farming different crops by season helps the soil balance the nutrients and prevents continuous soil depletion.
Testing soil pH level
- Micronutrients are best available when the soil pH is between 6.0 and 7.5. So that farmers have to check the soil pH level before farming any crop will help the soil to hold the micronutrients.
- In addition to that, regular soil testing before farming can reveal exactly which micronutrient the soil lacks. This will lead to proper micronutrient availability in the soil and in plant roots.
Proper irrigation and drainage
- Avoiding excess irrigation and practicing proper drainage can cause micronutrient deficiency in plants naturally.
Conclusion:
Micronutrient deficiency in plants is a notable challenge in crops. Following good farming practices can effectively manage these challenges. Regular field inspections, early detection of symptoms, and timely corrective actions are the key pillars of successful cultivation. Such measures help crops grow stronger, greener, and more productive. Moreover, the importance of micronutrients in plant growth ensures plants absorb other essential nutrients effectively.
As discussed above, healthy crops naturally lead to higher yields. Moreover, nutritious and high-quality produce meets consumer demand and earns farmers better prices in the market. Supplying ideal nutrients to plants, ensuring both profitability and long-term sustainability.
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K SANJEEVA REDDY
CHIEF AGRONOMY OFFICER
Sanjeeva Reddy K. serves as the Chief Agronomy Officer at AGRIBEGRI TRADELINK PVT LTD, a role he stepped into in July 2025, where he oversees and manages agronomy expertise across the organization. He holds a Postgraduate degree in Agricultural Science from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, India, and is a Certified Crop Advisor accredited by the Indian Society of Agri Professionals, in association with the American Society of Agri Professionals. With more than 20 years of experience in crop production, Reddy has built extensive expertise working across reputed agribusiness industries. A significant part of his career includes a decade-long tenure with the internationally recognized Indian brand MULTIPLEX, a leading Bangalore-based manufacturer and marketer of plant nutrients, where he played a key role in driving growth and innovation.