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Nutrient Management
Nutrient Functions and Deficiency Symptoms
Introduction
There are seventeen (17) essential elements needed by the rice plants to complete a healthy life cycle. They
are generally grouped into macroelements and microelements. The rice plant requires high amounts of
macroelements and small amounts of microelements. The most common limiting nutrients are nitrogen (N),
phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S), and zinc (Zn).

Nitrogen
Nitrogen promotes rapid growth (increased plant height and tiller
number) and increased leaf size, spikelet number per panicle, percentage
filled spikelets in each panicle, and grain protein content. Thus, if N is
deficient, plants become stunted and yellowish; reduced tiller number; small;
narrow; erect leaves that turn yellowish-red and brown; old leaves become
light straw-colored and then wither.
Nitrogen deficiency is common in rice plants. Old leaves and sometimes all
leaves become light green and chlorotic at the tip. The entire field may appear
yellowish. N deficiency occurs at critical growth stages such as tillering and
panicle initiation when the demand is high.

Phosphorous
Phosphorus promotes tillering, root
development, early flowering, and
ripening (especially when the temperature Nitrogen deficient plant
is low). It is particularly important in early
growth stages.
Phosphorus deficient plants are stunted with greatly reduced tiller
number, erect stem and leaves. Young leaves look normal but old leaves turn
brown and die. The number of leaves, panicles, and grains per panicle is also
reduced. Leaves appear pale green when P and N deficiency occur
simultaneously. Phosphorus deficiency is often associated with other nutrient
disorders such as Fe toxicity at low pH.

Potassium
Phosphorous deficient plant Potassium delays leaf senescenes, and
therefore contributes to greater canopy
photosynthesis and crop growth. It also improves root growth and plant vigor
and helps prevent lodging. It also enhances crop resistance to pests and
increases number of spikelets per panicle, percentage filled grains, and
1,000-grain weight.
Potassium deficiency is often not detected because its symptoms are not
easy to recognize as those in N deficiency, and appear during the later Potassium deficient plant
growth stages.

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 Potassium deficient plants are stunted, and slightly reduced tillering.
Upper leaves are short, droopy, and “dirty” dark green and the discoloration
gradually appears on younger leaves. Its symptoms particularly the yellowish
brown leaf margins are similar to those of tungro virus diseases. Rusty brown
spots appear on the tips of older leaves causing it to turn brown and dry up.

Sulfur
Sulfur is involved in chlorophyll
production and thus is required protein
Potassium deficient plant
for synthesis, plant function and structure.
Sulfur deficiency often mistaken for nitrogen deficiency. Unlike N deficiency
where older leaves are affected first, sulfur deficiency results in yellowing of
the whole plant, and chlorosis is more pronounced in young leaves, the tips of
which may become necrotic. The effect on yield is more pronounced when S
deficiency occurs during vegetative growth; symptoms should be detected
and corrected early.
Other symptoms include yellowish seedlings in seedbed, high seedling
mortality after transplanting, stunted growth (plants are not dark-colored as
in P or K deficiency), reduced tiller number, fewer and shorter panicles,
reduced number of spikelets per panicle, and delayed maturity.

Zinc
Zinc is essential element in
Sulfur deficient plant
chlorophyll production in the rice plant. Zinc
deficiency is the most wide-spread micronutrient-related problem in rice.
Symptoms appear between two to four weeks after transplanting. These
include dusty brown spots on old leaves, stunted plant growth, and patches
of poorly established hills in the field.
Rice plant, however can recover from symptoms soon after the field is
drained. Under severe zinc deficiency, tillering decreases and can stop
completely and the time to crop maturity increases. It also increases spikelet
sterility in rice.

Zinc deficient plant

Reviewed by:

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*Photo courtesy of IRRI

Source: PalayCheck System for Irrigated Lowland Rice. Philippine Rice Research Institute. ©2007

Fair use of this material is encouraged. Proper citation is requested. | © 2010, OPAPA-PhilRice