Symptoms of Nitrogen Deficiency in Plants

There are many nutrients essential for plant growth and development, but nitrogen is considered to be the most important.

Plants absorb more nitrogen than any other element. Nitrogen is so vital because it is a major component of chlorophyll, the compound by which plants use sunlight energy to produce sugars from water and carbon dioxide (i.e., photosynthesis). It is also a major component of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.

Despite nitrogen being one of the most abundant elements on earth, nitrogen deficiency is one of the most common nutritional problems affecting plants.

Fortunately, the signs and symptoms of nitrogen deficiency are relatively easy to detect and correct in most plant species.

Symptoms of Nitrogen Deficiency

Nitrogen deficiency is most easily spotted when the plant is unable to make sufficient chlorophyll and the plant’s older leaves start to turn pale green or yellow. This yellowing will slowly begin to spread and eventually the growth of the plant will stop and the leaves will fall off. The stems of the plants may also turn purple or reddish.

Causes of Nitrogen Deficiency in Plants

A nitrogen deficiency in plants occurs when the plant is insufficiently able to absorb nitrogen from the soil or substrate. Because nitrogen is easily soluble and can simply wash away through rain, overwatering can be the cause of a nitrogen shortage.

Nitrogen deficiency in plants can also occur when organic matter with a high carbon content is added to soil. Soil organisms use nitrogen to break down carbon sources, making the nitrogen unavailable to plants. This is known as “robbing” the soil of nitrogen. 

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