Why a pesticide spray will not fix a nutrient problem
Many farmers spray pesticide when a crop looks weak, even with no pest. Why that rarely helps a nutrient problem, what it costs and what to check.
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Micronutrient blogs
Practical reading on nutrient problems farmers meet in the field.
General
Why more urea or water-soluble fertilizer does not fix yellow leaves
Yellow leaves are often treated with more urea or NPK. Why that fails when sulphur, magnesium, iron or zinc is the real cause, and what to do instead.
Read the full guideMicronutrients for fruit size, quality, brix and market price
How boron, calcium, magnesium, zinc and potassium decide fruit set, size, sweetness, firmness and shelf life, and so the price a grower gets.
Read the full guideMicronutrients, soil health and sustainable farming
Why micronutrient shortage is a soil health problem, and how organic matter, residues, rotation and balanced feeding protect soil for the next generation.
Read the full guideTypes of micronutrient fertilizers: sulphates, chelates, organic and more
Sulphates, borates, chelates, organic complexes, fortified fertilizers, mixtures, biofertilisers and manure compared: strengths and limits of each.
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Zinc deficiency symptoms crop by crop
How zinc deficiency looks in paddy, wheat, maize, citrus, cotton, sugarcane, banana and mango, what it is often confused with, and how to confirm it.
Read the full guideZinc and phosphorus: why heavy DAP can cause zinc deficiency
Why fields fed DAP year after year often run short of zinc, how phosphorus and zinc compete, and how to balance the two without losing yield.
Read the full guideIron deficiency symptoms crop by crop
How iron chlorosis looks in groundnut, sugarcane, citrus, grapes, pomegranate and cereals, and how to tell it from nitrogen, zinc and magnesium shortage.
Read the full guideIron chlorosis in calcareous soil: why iron sulphate in the soil often fails
Why crops on lime-rich soils turn yellow even though the soil has iron, why ferrous sulphate in the soil often does not help, and what works better.
Read the full guideManganese deficiency symptoms crop by crop
How manganese deficiency looks in wheat, citrus, sugarcane, pulses, potato and paddy, how to tell it from iron and magnesium, and how to confirm it.
Read the full guideManganese deficiency in wheat after paddy
Why wheat sown after paddy on light soils often runs short of manganese, how to spot it early, and how growers correct it.
Read the full guideCopper deficiency symptoms crop by crop
How copper deficiency looks in wheat, citrus, onion, vegetables and fruit trees, what it is confused with, and why you should test before applying copper.
Read the full guideCopper: too little and too much
Why copper is needed in small amounts, how repeated copper fungicide sprays build up in orchard soils, and how to keep copper in balance.
Read the full guideBoron deficiency symptoms crop by crop
How boron deficiency looks in cotton, groundnut, mango, pomegranate, coconut, banana, cauliflower, grapes and papaya, and how to confirm it safely.
Read the full guideBoron for flowering and fruit set: why the dose window is narrow
How boron helps pollen and fruit set, why flower and fruit drop often trace back to boron, and why the gap between too little and too much is small.
Read the full guideMolybdenum deficiency symptoms crop by crop
How molybdenum deficiency looks in pulses, soybean, groundnut, cauliflower, citrus and vegetables, and why it is often mistaken for nitrogen shortage.
Read the full guideMolybdenum and legumes: nodules, nitrogen and seed treatment
How molybdenum lets Rhizobium bacteria fix nitrogen in pulses, why acid soils run short, and how seed treatment supplies it cheaply.
Read the full guideChloride deficiency and toxicity: how to tell them apart
Why chloride shortage is rare but chloride excess from saline water is common, what each looks like, and what to do in each case.
Read the full guideChloride-sensitive crops: when muriate of potash is a problem
Which crops are sensitive to chloride, when muriate of potash can lower quality, and when sulphate of potash is the better choice.
Read the full guideNickel deficiency symptoms: mouse-ear and leaf tip burn
What nickel deficiency looks like, why it is rare in Indian fields, and how to tell it from urea burn and other leaf tip problems.
Read the full guideNickel and urea: why plants need nickel to use urea
How the nickel enzyme urease lets plants use urea, what happens without it, and why it matters for crops fed mainly with urea.
Read the full guideCalcium deficiency symptoms crop by crop
How calcium disorders look in tomato, chilli, apple, mango, groundnut, potato, cabbage and pomegranate, and why they appear even on calcium-rich soils.
Read the full guideBlossom-end rot, bitter pit and tip burn: when the soil has enough calcium
Why calcium disorders appear on calcium-rich soils, why calcium sprays alone often fail, and how water, potash, magnesium and boron decide the result.
Read the full guideMagnesium deficiency symptoms crop by crop
How magnesium deficiency looks in cotton, grapes, citrus, potato, banana, sugarcane and coconut, and how to tell it from potash and nitrogen shortage.
Read the full guidePotash, magnesium and calcium: the balance that decides leaf colour
How potassium, magnesium and calcium compete at the root, why heavy potash causes magnesium shortage, and when a calcium problem is really magnesium.
Read the full guideSulphur deficiency symptoms crop by crop
How sulphur deficiency looks in mustard, groundnut, soybean, pulses, onion, cereals, sugarcane and tea, and how to tell it from nitrogen shortage.
Read the full guideSulphur for oilseeds and pulses: oil, protein and the urea-DAP gap
Why oilseeds and pulses need sulphur for oil and protein, why fields fed only urea and DAP run short, and the common ways to supply it.
Read the full guideSilicon deficiency signs: lodging, droopy leaves and disease
How silicon shortage shows in rice, sugarcane, wheat, banana and vegetables, and why it is easy to miss.
Read the full guideSilicon in rice and sugarcane: stronger stems and fewer pest and disease problems
Why rice and sugarcane take up so much silicon, how it strengthens them against lodging, pests and disease, and how to keep it in the soil.
Read the full guideCobalt deficiency signs in legumes and livestock fodder
How cobalt shortage shows in pulses and fodder legumes, how it affects animals that eat the fodder, and how to tell it from other nodulation problems.
Read the full guideCobalt and Rhizobium: the trace element behind nitrogen fixation
How cobalt lets Rhizobium bacteria fix nitrogen in pulse roots, why only a trace is needed, and why too much does harm.
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