Gardening: How to diagnose plant nutrient deficiencies

Nitrogen deficiency symptom: Chlorosis of older leaves. Photos: Dr Nor Elliza Tajidin

When plants suffer from a deficiency in one or more nutrients, they display specific signs. While it is relatively straightforward to diagnose these signs, the task can become complicated due to the overlap between symptoms of nutrient deficiencies, or abiotic issues, and those of plant diseases or pest infestations, or biotic issues.

A useful method for differentiating between abiotic and biotic issues is to observe the uniformity of symptom distribution in a given area.