Leaves – early indicator of durian plant nutrition
Currently, most durian gardens, a high-value crop in the Mekong Delta region, are in the recovery phase after off-season harvest, sprouting young shoots and preparing to handle main-season flowering. This is the stage when plants need the most stable nutrition. However, the recent weather has seen two disadvantages: saltwater intrusion increases at the end of the dry season; Unseasonal rain appears early. This not only accelerates the process of nutrient wasting, but also creates inhibition, disrupting the plant's ability to absorb nutrients.
In modern agricultural production, observing leaf morphology is considered a method to quickly diagnose the nutritional status of crops. In other words, if gardeners know how to observe the color, shape and location of changes on leaves, they can soon recognize what nutrients the plant is lacking to promptly adjust the care regime, helping the plant grow stably and improve yield.
Crop experts say that each nutrient element plays a separate role in the plant's development process. "When there is a nutritional deficiency, characteristic manifestations will appear on the leaves. Correct identification will help gardeners proactively recover, avoiding the plant from depleting," MSc Nguyen Phuoc Tuyen, former Director of the Dong Thap Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, shared.
8 signs of malnutrition through leaves
One of the common manifestations is nitrogen deficiency. When nitrogen deficiency occurs, all durian leaves often turn uniformly pale yellow, especially in old leaves. Nitrogen is an essential element for leaf growth and photosynthesis. Nitrogen deficiency causes plant growth slow, thin foliage, and reduced biomass capacity.
If the plant lacks phosphorus, the leaves tend to be abnormally dark green, sometimes appearing purple or reddish-brown. Phosphorus plays an important role in the development of the root system and supports the flowering process. When lacking phosphorus, the plant is prone to poor flowering and reduced fruit setting.
Meanwhile, potassium deficiency is often manifested by the phenomenon of leaf edge burning. Leaf edges turn brown, gradually drying from outside to inside. Potassium helps plants increase resistance to pests and diseases and regulate water. If potassium is deficient, durian plants are easily weakened and fruit falls young.
Important micronutrients are easily overlooked
Besides macronutrients, durian plants also need many micronutrients for balanced development. An easily recognizable sign is magnesium deficiency. When this substance is deficient, leaves are usually yellow in the flesh of the leaves but the tendons are still green, creating a very characteristic yellow image between the tendons. Magnesium is the component that makes up chlorophyll, so when deficient, it will directly affect photosynthesis.
Iron deficiency often appears on young leaves. Leaves turn pale yellow but the nerve system remains green. If the condition persists, the leaves may turn yellowish-white and fall out early. For zinc deficiency, young leaves are often smaller, narrower, and deformed, causing the photopolymerization area to decrease significantly. The plant develops slower than normal.
Meanwhile, calcium deficiency causes young leaves to be deformed, bent or twisted, and the top of the plant may be dry due to poor young tissue development.
Another micronutrient that is also very important is boron. When boron is lacking, the young shoots are often deformed, the stems and nerves of the leaves become thick and brittle, easily broken. Severe cases can kill the shoots.
Observe early for timely handling
According to MSc Tuyen, regularly checking leaves helps detect nutritional deficiencies early before the plant seriously weakens. However, some symptoms on leaves can be easily confused with manifestations of pests or diseases or impacts from the environment such as drought, waterlogging or inappropriate soil pH.
Therefore, in addition to observing leaf shape, gardeners need to combine monitoring many other factors such as soil conditions, irrigation regime and fertilization schedule. For durian trees to develop stably, it is necessary to maintain a balanced fertilization regime between macro and micro elements, while improving the soil, supplementing organic matter and managing water reasonably.
When "reading" the correct signal from the leaves, growers can intervene promptly, protect the plant's health and maintain sustainable yield for the next crops.
