Zinc guide
Zinc is a micronutrient the crop needs for its growth hormone (auxin), for more than a hundred enzymes, for chlorophyll and for healthy...
Read the full guideZinc 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.
Zinc deficiency looks different in each crop, but the common thread is the young growth: small, narrow, pale leaves, short internodes and stunted plants. In paddy it shows as rusty brown spots after transplanting, in maize as a pale band beside the midrib, and in citrus as yellow mottling with small pointed leaves.
By Gafar Laiya and the Gujarat Bio Organics team. Updated November 2026.
Crop by crop
| Crop | What you see |
|---|---|
| Paddy | Khaira disease: rusty brown spots and stunting two to four weeks after transplanting, uneven patches in the field. |
| Maize | White bud: a broad pale band on each side of the midrib on young leaves, short plants. |
| Wheat | Grey-green or pale patches in the middle of leaves, uneven growth, poor tillering. |
| Citrus | Mottle leaf: yellow patches between green veins, small pointed leaves, rosettes at shoot tips. |
| Cotton | Small thick leaves, bronzing and short internodes. |
| Sugarcane | Pale stripes on young leaves, short internodes and poor tillering in calcareous soils. |
| Banana | Narrow, pointed, pale young leaves, sometimes with a reddish tinge underneath. |
| Mango | Little leaf and rosetting of new flushes, weak flowering. |
| Groundnut and pulses | Pale young leaves, short plants and poor pod filling. |
Look-alikes to rule out
- Iron shortage also yellows young leaves, but the leaf keeps its normal size.
- Leaf curl virus and sucking pests also make small, curled young leaves; check the leaf underside for insects.
- Herbicide drift distorts leaves suddenly over a patch or along the field edge.
- Waterlogging and cold weather cause general paleness that clears when the weather does.
When to look
- Two to six weeks after sowing or transplanting, when roots are small.
- On new flushes of fruit trees.
- After cold, wet spells early in the season.
Confirm and correct
- Confirm with a soil or leaf test before you spend.
- Read the full zinc 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
Zinc 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 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.
- Paddy guide and Immunity Paddy Special
- Maize guide and Immunity Maize Special
- Citrus guide and Immunity Citrus Special
- Cotton guide and Immunity Cotton Special
- Sugarcane guide and Immunity Sugarcane Special
- Groundnut (Mungfali) guide and Immunity Mungfali (Groundnut) 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 zinc deficiency look like in paddy?
Khaira disease: rusty brown spots and stunting two to four weeks after transplanting, uneven patches in the field.
What does zinc deficiency look like in maize?
White bud: a broad pale band on each side of the midrib on young leaves, short plants.
What does zinc deficiency look like in wheat?
Grey-green or pale patches in the middle of leaves, uneven growth, poor tillering.