Many fields that showed N deficiency suffered little, if any, yield loss. Those that did – and had yellow, stunted leaves – were few in number
by KEITH REID
A significant number of corn fields this year showed typical nitrogen deficiency symptoms on the lower leaves. In some cases, the entire plant was pale instead of the dark green colour we associate with healthy corn plants, but more often it was simply the yellowing starting at the tip of the leaf and extending down along the mid-rib, followed by browning of the affected tissue. (See photograph, above)
This leads to three questions. Why did it happen? How much did it hurt my yield? And should I change my fertilizer program for 2011?