A PICTOGUIDE OF SOME NUTRIENT DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS OF COCONUT

Photo 1. Nitrogen (N) Deficiency A nitrogen-deficient coconut showing the general yellowing of all leaves. Color of leaves is at first yellowish-green, turning to golden yellow as the deficiency progresses. In the advanced stage, many inflorescences are aborted and the number of female flowers is low to nil; the tree is quite stunted in growth and the stem tapers off in a pencil point way. The crown bears a small number of short yellowish leaves.

Photo 2. Potassium (K) Deficiency A potassium-deficient coconut with different tones of leaves; exhibiting a general yellowing of the tree, but the younger leaves are still quite green, while the lower older leaves are hanging down and reddishorange in color. Newly remitted leaves are short; the number of inflorescences and nuts usually very low.

Photo 3. Magnesium (Mg) Deficiency A coconut palm severely affected by magnesium deficiency, showing leaves in the lower half of the crown are bright yellow, while leaves on the upper half of the crown are green. Also, the bases of the leaflets (nearest the leaf petiole) remain green (white arrow points). Yellowing of the leaflets starts, from the tip moving up towards the petiole.

Photo 4. Sulfur (5) Deficiency A young coconut exhibiting an advanced stage of sulfur deficiency. Note the color change of the leaflets from dark green to yellowish-orange, particularly in the older, lower leaves. Also marked is the premature drying of the leaflets as a result of the strong inadequacy in sulfur.

Photo 5. Chlorine (Cl) Deficiency The tree exhibits abnormal leaves, very low yield with few and small nuts, and leaflets usually susceptible to fungus disease resulting to incidence of leaf spots compared to trees with Cl application.

Photo 6. Boron (B) Deficiency A young coconut palm showing severe boron (B) deficiency symptoms of shortened petioles with almost no leaflets emitted. Also leaflets stick together or unseparated like a fan.

Photo 7. Copper (Cu) Deficiency A young coconut palm showing severe copper (Cu) deficiency symptoms. Note the clear change of the color of the younger leaves in the upper region from green to yellow, most of the petioles are in arc-shape, eventually losing turgidity. Copper deficiency is common in peat soils, as well as in calcareous soils. Distinctly, the lamina along the midrib remains green. A close-up of copperdeficient leaflets showing the premature dry up and necrosis of the tips of leaflets and change in color from dark green to yellow from the tips towards the leaf petiole. While the lamina along the midrib remains green.

Photo 8. Iron (Fe) Deficiency A young coconut manifesting the typical iron (Fe) deficiency symptoms. Note the color change of the upper, younger leaves from dark green to yellowish-green (also called general yellowing or chlorosis). Fe deficiency has been observed in peat soils within few years after field-planting. A close-up of an iron-deficiency leaflet (Fe). Note the general chlorosis condition in contrast with the copper-deficient leaflet (CU-) in which chlorosis exists but tissues adjacent or nearest the midrib remain normal green. Also, the dark green leaflet (center) contains normal amounts of iron (FE*) and Copper (Cu*).

Reference IRHO/CIRAD, ISBN 979-8213-00-9