Sulphur guide
Sulphur is a secondary nutrient the crop needs to build proteins, to make oil in oilseeds, to form chlorophyll and to use nitrogen well. A...
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.
Sulphur shortage turns young leaves pale yellow, including the veins, and makes plants thin and upright. Mustard shows cupped pale leaves and poor pods, groundnut and soybean show pale leaves and weak nodules, and onion makes small, mild bulbs. Unlike nitrogen shortage, it starts on the young leaves.
By Gafar Laiya and the Gujarat Bio Organics team. Updated November 2026.
Crop by crop
| Crop | What you see |
|---|---|
| Mustard and rapeseed | Pale, cupped young leaves, purple tints and poor pod and seed fill. |
| Groundnut and soybean | Pale young leaves, poor nodules and low oil. |
| Pulses | Pale plants, weak nodules, poor pod set. |
| Onion and garlic | Pale leaves, small bulbs and low pungency. |
| Wheat and paddy | Uniform pale plants and low grain protein. |
| Sugarcane | Pale young leaves and thin canes. |
| Tea | Yellow new leaves (tea yellows) on sulphur-poor soils. |
Sulphur or nitrogen?
| Sulphur | Nitrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves first affected | Young | Old |
| Veins | Also yellow | Yellow along the midrib |
| Response to urea | Little or none | Greens up |
When to look
- Early growth of oilseeds and pulses.
- On fields fed only urea, DAP and MOP for years.
- On sandy soils after heavy rain.
Confirm and correct
- Confirm with a soil or leaf test before you spend.
- Read the full sulphur 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
Sulphur 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 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
- Pulses guide and Immunity Pulses Special
- Onion guide and Immunity Onion Special
- Sugarcane guide and Immunity Sugarcane Special
- Tea guide and Immunity Tea Special
- Wheat and cereals guide and Immunity Dhanya 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 sulphur deficiency look like in mustard and rapeseed?
Pale, cupped young leaves, purple tints and poor pod and seed fill.
What does sulphur deficiency look like in groundnut and soybean?
Pale young leaves, poor nodules and low oil.
What does sulphur deficiency look like in pulses?
Pale plants, weak nodules, poor pod set.