What is the difference between iron deficiency and manganese deficiency?
Iron deficiency and manganese deficiency can be hard to distinguish from each other. Both are trace elements and facilitate important processes in your crop. In this article, we explain the difference between the two deficiencies. In the case of manganese deficiency, young leaves towards the top become lighter in colour and brown specks then appear. The edges of the leaves remain green. In the case of iron deficiency, the top leaves turn completely yellow. Only the veins remain green. There are no brown specks in the case of iron deficiency.
The differences between iron and manganese deficiency at a glance
- Manganese deficiency causes brown specks; iron deficiency does not.
- In manganese deficiency, the edges of the leaves remain green. In iron deficiency, the leaves, including the edges, turn yellow in colour.
- In iron deficiency, the veins remain green; in manganese deficiency they do not.
Manganese deficiency
Manganese is an important trace element. It is responsible for strong cell walls, metabolism, the structure of chloroplasts, and photosynthesis. If your crop is suffering from a lack of manganese, that is very harmful. As it happens, it impedes photosynthesis. This leads to stunted growth. Causes of manganese deficiency include: disruption of the root environment, excessive iron in the soil, incorrect manuring and an excessively high pH value.
Iron deficiency
Iron is a trace element that is important for the growth and development of your crop. Your crop utilises iron for foliage development. This plays an important role in photosynthesis. Causes of iron deficiency include: an excessively high pH value, too much zinc or manganese in the soil, soil that is too wet, a poorly functioning root system and too much light on the feed container.
BAC products that contain trace elements
At BAC, we specialise in organic plant feeds with trace elements that also help with iron and manganese deficiency. Examples of these include:
- Cocos bloom nutrients
- Hydro nutrients
- Soil nutrients
Ask our customer service team which feed your crop needs and how you should use it. Our employees would be delighted to give you personalised advice so you can keep your crop healthy.