What Causes Nitrogen Deficiency in Plants and Ways to Fix It

1. What Causes Nitrogen Deficiency in Plants and Ways to Fix It? One of the important nutrients for healthy plants is nitrogen. It’s required for chlorophyll formation, which is vital for photosynthesis. It means if the amount of nitrogen is not sufficient, plants will not get food to grow and survive. Also, the plants will not develop because nitrogen is considered as a “building block” for amino acids, membrane proteins, enzymes, auxins, membrane proteins, DNA, and cells. As the role of nitrogen is vital to get a good yield from the field, you should prevent and manage nitrogen deficiency as much as possible. You should fix the deficiency and correct the nitrogen supply to ensure proper growth and full crop production capacity. But before you fix the problems, you should know the reasons for the problem. You should know why plants suffer from nitrogen deficiency. Reasons for nitrogen deficiency  Soil type – Sandy and well-drained soils with fast nutrient leaching lead to nitrogen deficiency. Other soils are better at retaining nutrients.  Excessive irrigation and heavy rains- Due to overwatering in the fields, nutrients flows away and cause deficiency  Soil moisture- Lack of moisture tempers with the absorption of water-soluble nutrients by the plants' root  Soil aeration- Low air content in soils compels the denitrifying bacteria to use NO2 or No3 instead of O2. Also, it causes the split of plant-useful nitrates to N2O, which is a greenhouse gas.  Soil temperature- Both cold and hot temperature affects the nutrients dissolution and microbial activity to release plant-ingestible nitrogen. The soil works better on hotter days because plants get more nutrients.  Levels of other chlorides- High levels of manganese, zinc, and potassium causes nitrogen deficiency in plants.  Soli salinity- Impacts nutrient absorption due to osmotic pressure and decrease nitrogen access  Soil acidity- Neither high nor low pH is favorable for the soil and maintaining nitrogen level  Damaged roots- Plant roots damaged by pests or illnesses absorb nutrients quickly and poorly  Nitrogen solubility- High nitrogen solubility leads to deficiency because it is easily washed away from the soil  Low organic matter-The organic matter is the natural form of nitrogen to crops. If the quantity of organic matter is low, there will be nitrogen deficiency. Tips to fix nitrogen deficiency problem The two methods to fix nitrogen deficiency in plants are- organic and chemical methods. Before nitrogen deficiency treatment, you should conduct a soil health test to know the deficiency of nitrogen. The test result will help you know how much nitrogen is needed. In the organic method, different techniques are used to treat nitrogen deficiency. You should use manures, which come in different nitrogen concentrations. Based on the test result, you should choose the manures. Other than this, you should prefer cover crops, crop rotation, and intercropping to prevent nitrogen deficiency.

2. In the chemical method, you should use synthesized nitrogen-containing fertilizers to promote crop recovery from nitrogen deficiency. The soil health test will help you understand the required corrections of pH and nutrient content. The chemical fertilizers come with a balanced formula, which is indicated with an NPK ratio on the packet. You should check the ratio and select the fertilizer as per the requirement. Without sufficient nitrogen, you cannot expect the healthy growth of plants, even if other things are perfect. So, you should fix the nitrogen deficiency as soon as you identify it. Source: https://microbiometer.com/