Table 1.
Sulfur deficiency symptoms in economically important plants.
| Plants | Symptoms |
|---|---|
| Wheat | Yellowing of the plant, more prominent between the veins. |
| Rice | Yellowish leaf sheath and leaf blade. Reduced plant height and number of tillers. Fewer panicles, shorter and fewer grains. |
| Maize | The initial stage, yellowing between the veins in younger leaves. Later, reddening at the base of the stem and along the leaf margins. |
| Chickpea | Plants appear erect, premature drying, and withering of young leaves. |
| Sunflower | Leaves and flowers become pale. Plants are smaller with shorter internodes. Reduced number and size of leaves. |
| Tomato | Small plant height and lighter green. Yellowing in various plant parts. In the severe deficiency, petioles and stems show a clear reddening. |
| Groundnut | Small Plant height. A “V” shaped petiole appearance. New leaves, the area around the main vein may be pale. Seed maturity delayed. |
| Sugarcane | Younger leaves become yellowish-green colors. Older leaves show a faint purplish tinge. Stems are thinner and taper toward the tip. |
| Tea | Sulfur deficient bushes turn yellow, reduce in leaf size, short internodes, the entire plant appears shrunken. Leaves curl up and their edges and tips turn brown. |
| Pea | Chlorosis in young leaves. Flowering and yield are reduced. |
| Tobacco | Young leaves are uniformly pale-yellow green. Leaves are smaller and internodes are shorter. |
| Banana | Young leaves show chlorosis. Severe sulfur deficient conditions lead to chlorosis in between the veins. Retracted growth and small fruits are produced. |
|
Green gram |
Stunted plants growth reduced branching and flowering, and pods have shrunken seeds. |
| Cotton | Persistent yellowing of new leaves and reddening of the petiole. |
| Potato | Evident inward curling of youngest leaves, substantial yellowing of the stems, overall yellowing of the plants |
| Coffee | Young leaves show yellow color, mature leaves show chlorosis of mature, small leaves size. Interveinal tissue looks like a mottled appearance. |
| Rubber | The entire leaf surface turns yellowish-green color, reduced in size, with typical brown necrotic spots at the tips of the leaves. |
Information in this table was adopted form The Sulfur Institute (TSI), Washington DC, USA (Sulfur Deficiency Sources and Symptoms – The Sulfur Institute).