Question

Name at least five different deficiency symptoms in plants. Describe them and correlate them with the concerned mineral deficiency?

Answer 1

Deficiency symptoms occur due to the shortage of any particular element of the plant due to which plant shows morphological changes. These morphological changes are called deficiency symptoms. Some of the different deficiency symptoms in plants are chlorosis, necrosis, inhibition of cellular division, delayed flowering and stunted plant growth.

Complete answer:
Some deficiency symptoms that occurs in plant are

Chlorosis happens due to loss of chlorophyll which results in the yellowing of leaves. It is caused due to the deficiency of iron, Manganese, and zinc. It results in poor drainage, damaged roots.
Necrosis - It is the death of plant tissues particularly in the leaves. It is an outcome of the deficiencies of calcium.
Inhibition of cellular division – It is caused due to the deficiency of nitrogen, potassium, sulphur. It inhibits the mitosis as a result of which microtubule polymerization stops.
Delayed flowering- It is due to the deficiency in nitrogen sulphur and molybdenum. The delay in flowering leads to delay in fruiting and life cycle.
Stunted plant growth – Deficiency of copper and sulphur causes stunted growth. This results in unhealthy short plants.

Note: The deficiency of macronutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, sulphur, magnesium, carbon, oxygen and hydrogen can cause serious damage to the morphology and physiology of the plants. The micronutrients are the trace minerals which are also essential for plant growth. It includes iron, boron, chlorine, manganese, zinc, copper, molybdenum and nickel.