Iron guide
Iron is a micronutrient the crop needs to make chlorophyll and to run photosynthesis and respiration. An iron-short crop shows yellow young...
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.
Iron deficiency shows on the youngest leaves first: a yellow leaf with a fine net of green veins, turning white in severe cases, while the older leaves stay green. It is most common on calcareous soils and in wet patches, and is often seen in groundnut, sugarcane ratoons, citrus and grapes.
By Gafar Laiya and the Gujarat Bio Organics team. Updated November 2026.
Crop by crop
| Crop | What you see |
|---|---|
| Groundnut | Bright yellow young leaves with green veins on calcareous soils, common in Saurashtra. |
| Sugarcane | Yellow to white stripes on young leaves, worst in ratoon crops and after waterlogging. |
| Citrus | Yellow young leaves with a green vein net, small fruit and twig dieback. |
| Grapes | Yellow new leaves at shoot tips, poor bunch set. |
| Pomegranate | Pale young leaves and weak new shoots on alkaline soils. |
| Sorghum and maize | Yellow stripes between the veins of the whole young leaf. |
| Chickpea and soybean | Yellow young leaves and weak nodules on high pH soils. |
| Banana | Uniform yellowing of young leaves on alkaline soils. |
How to tell iron from other yellowing
| What you see | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Young leaves yellow, fine green vein net, leaf size normal | Iron |
| Young leaves pale and small, narrow, bunched | Zinc |
| Old leaves yellow from the tip, whole leaf | Nitrogen |
| Old leaves yellow between veins, veins green | Magnesium |
| Young leaves uniformly pale yellow, including veins | Sulphur |
When to look
- After heavy irrigation or rain.
- In ratoon sugarcane and in orchards on calcareous soil.
- In cold weather early in the season.
Confirm and correct
- Confirm with a soil or leaf test before you spend.
- Read the full iron guide for causes and correction.
- Use the symptom guide to compare with other nutrients.
Doses depend on the crop, soil and product, so this page gives methods, not amounts. Take the dose from your soil test report, the product label or your local agriculture officer or KVK. Results differ from farm to farm with soil, weather, crop and management. Farmer experiences on this site are their own reports, not a promise of results.
Read next
Iron 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 guideHow Gujarat Bio Organics can help
Since 2006, lakhs of farmers from Kashmir to Kanyakumari have used Immunity products on almost every crop: from the mango farms around Somnath to the apple orchards of Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir, the tea estates of Assam and Darjeeling, and the banana, coconut and cardamom farms of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. Each Special is one formula made for one crop and its common problems. Tell us your crop, soil test and what you see, and our team will tell you what to check, whether a micronutrient correction is needed, and which Special fits your programme.
- Groundnut (Mungfali) guide and Immunity Mungfali (Groundnut) Special
- Sugarcane guide and Immunity Sugarcane Special
- Citrus guide and Immunity Citrus Special
- Pomegranate guide and Immunity Pomegranate Special
Results differ from farm to farm with soil, weather, crop and management. Farmer experiences on this site are their own reports, not a promise of results.
Questions
What does iron deficiency look like in groundnut?
Bright yellow young leaves with green veins on calcareous soils, common in Saurashtra.
What does iron deficiency look like in sugarcane?
Yellow to white stripes on young leaves, worst in ratoon crops and after waterlogging.
What does iron deficiency look like in citrus?
Yellow young leaves with a green vein net, small fruit and twig dieback.