What to Do About Nutrient Deficiency in Corn? Common Symptoms and Control Methods

Corn is a common crop and the main net cash income for many farming households. During growth, corn, like humans and other animals and plants, needs multiple elements to grow healthily. If a certain element is lacking during planting, it will not only affect the growth of corn, but also affect yield and quality, reducing economic returns. Below, Qinnong Web brings you the common nutrient deficiency symptoms of corn and their control methods.

1. Phosphorus deficiency

When corn is deficient in phosphorus, growth is slow at the seedling stage, and the leaf tips and leaf margins turn purplish red, which is the most obvious feature. The leaf edges curl, the leaf color is green or grayish green, and the stems are thin and weak. As the plant grows, the purplish red at the leaf tips gradually disappears, and the lower half of the leaves turns yellow. Some hybrid varieties may not show purplish red at the leaf tips and margins during the seedling stage, but phosphorus-deficient seedlings will definitely be shorter than normal seedlings. Phosphorus deficiency will also affect later pollination and grain filling of corn, and after maturity the corn has more shriveled kernels, affecting yield and quality.

Control method: For soil with low phosphorus content, increase the application of farmyard manure or phosphate fertilizer to increase phosphorus content and prevent phosphorus deficiency. If corn is deficient in phosphorus at the seedling stage, phosphate fertilizer can be added. However, if the cause is long-term poor conditions, adding phosphate fertilizer cannot directly restore it in time, so a combination of foliar fertilizer spraying and phosphate fertilizer topdressing can be used.

2. Nitrogen deficiency

During the growth period, corn has a relatively large demand for nitrogen, so nitrogen deficiency is also a fairly common phenomenon. When nitrogen is deficient at the seedling stage, growth is slow and plants are short, with leaves appearing yellow-green. As time goes on, yellowing starts from the older leaves at the lower part of the plant and gradually moves upward. Once the entire leaf turns yellow, the leaf sheath turns red, and the leaves eventually turn yellow-brown and die. If nitrogen is deficient in the late growth stage, tasseling will be delayed, the ear cannot grow normally, causing yield reduction.

Control method: Apply sufficient base fertilizer. When planting, fertilize in combination with plowing, preferably using a mixture of farmyard manure and chemical fertilizer. Topdress nitrogen fertilizer at the seedling stage and tasseling stage. The topdressing amount depends on the plant's growth condition. When nitrogen deficiency is found, a low-concentration urea aqueous solution can be sprayed.

3. Potassium deficiency

When corn is deficient in potassium, the color of new leaves is yellow or yellow-green, planting growth is slow, stem nodes shorten, stress resistance and disease resistance weaken, and it is susceptible to pests and diseases. Some old leaves begin to yellow at night, and the leaf margins scorch. This scorching develops along the leaf veins, and in the end all around the leaf veins become brown stripes. In addition, when corn matures, plants deficient in potassium are very prone to lodging.

Control method: For potassium deficiency, potassium sulfate, potassium chloride, or potassium-containing compound fertilizer can be added to the base fertilizer before sowing, generally applying more than ten kg per mu. If potassium deficiency occurs later, potassium fertilizer can be topdressed.

4. Zinc deficiency

When corn is deficient in zinc, it is very easy to identify. Its notable feature is the growth of white sprouts. The leaves begin to lose green, the leaf tips and margins turn yellow, and there are also stripes around the leaf veins, but they are yellow-white. Long-term zinc deficiency will cause the leaves to dry up and die, and at tasseling the ear is smaller, with missing kernels and bare tips.

Control method: Likewise, add an appropriate amount of zinc fertilizer to the base fertilizer, generally applying one or two kg of zinc sulfate per mu. If zinc deficiency occurs during later growth, zinc sulfate can be mixed with water to make a low-concentration solution for foliar fertilization, with excellent results.

The above are the symptoms and control methods of common nutrient deficiencies in corn brought to you by Qinnong Web. We hope it can help you. To learn more about corn cultivation knowledge, please keep following Qinnong Web.