Durian Nutrient Deficiency: Signs, Causes and the Fertilizer That Fixes It
Durian nutrient deficiency is one of the first things to check when the leaves of your duryan (durian) turn yellow, purple or burnt at the edges. On Philippine farms the usual ones are nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, boron, calcium and magnesium. This guide shows where each one starts, how to be sure, and the fertilizer that fixes it.
Start with one question: did the change begin on the old leaves or on the young ones? Nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium move inside the plant, so a shortage shows on the old, lower leaves first. But boron and calcium stay where the plant first put them, so the young leaves and the growing tip show it first. After that, the color and the pattern narrow down which durian nutrient deficiency you have, and a soil test confirms it. Each one below has its signs, its causes and its fix.
Durian nutrient deficiency signs, old leaves and young leaves
Shows first on the old leaves
| Nutrient | Where it starts | What you see | Fix with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen | old, lower leaves, the whole plant | Pale canopy, older leaves yellow and fall, and the flush after harvest comes out short and thin. | Urea 46 0 0, Ammonium sulfate 21 0 0 |
| Potassium | old, lower leaves, leaf edges and tips | Older leaf edges burn brown. More young fruits drop and the flesh is less sweet. | Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50 |
| Phosphorus | old, lower leaves | Slow growing trees with dull older leaves, a purple or bronze tint underneath, and weak flowering. | Superphosphate 0 20 0, 16 20 0 |
| Magnesium | old, lower leaves, between the veins | Older leaves yellow between green veins. Lower leaves may drop. | Dolomite, Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) |
Shows first on the young leaves
| Nutrient | Where it starts | What you see | Fix with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boron | fruit, grain or tubers, young leaves and the tip | Poor fruit set, small or lopsided fruits, cracked husks, and hard, leathery flesh inside. | Solubor, Borax |
| Calcium | young leaves and the tip, fruit, grain or tubers | New leaf tips burn and shoot tips die back on acid soils. Fruit quality drops. | Agricultural lime, Dolomite |
Before you buy fertilizer for a durian nutrient deficiency
So use the table to pick the likeliest durian nutrient deficiency, then read its section below. Also keep in mind that dry soil, standing water, cold nights, a pest or a disease can look the same. That is why it pays to check the roots and the whole field first.
Nitrogen deficiency in durian
The canopy turns light green, the older leaves yellow evenly and drop, and the yellowing moves up. The flush after harvest is short with small leaves, and young trees grow slowly and take longer to bear. You see it most at this stage: young trees before bearing, and bearing trees after harvest when the new flush should come.
Why nitrogen deficiency happens in duryan
Native soils in many Mindanao durian areas are low in nutrients. On poor soil, even a small fertilizer dose makes young trees not yet bearing grow faster. Trees that get little fertilizer and weedy rings show it most.
How to tell it apart
Magnesium deficiency yellows old leaves between green veins. Phytophthora root and trunk rot also yellows and thins the canopy. To be sure, leaf test of the second and third leaves from the shoot tip of the first flush after harvest, taken at flowering. For the best yield, leaf nitrogen at flowering should read 2.22 to 2.35 percent in Chanee trees.
What to apply for nitrogen deficiency
Where no soil test is done, give fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 12 4 7 at 100 grams per tree for the first five years, raised step by step to 4 kg per tree by the twelfth year. For trees not yet bearing, 400 grams Urea and 445 grams superphosphate per tree, with a little Muriate of potash, is enough to speed growth. Bearing trees over six years old need about 1.0 to 1.8 kg nitrogen per tree each year, given in splits through the season.
- Urea 46 0 0
- Ammonium sulfate 21 0 0
- Complete 14 14 14
Sold here with nitrogen: Atlas Granular Urea (46 0 0) by Atlas Fertilizer, Amigo Planters Ammonium Chloride by La Filipina (25 0 0), Agripower 46 0 0 (Locally Blended) Coated by Green Acres Agri Tech and Calcipro by Ramgo (15.5 0 0 with 18.8 percent calcium). Check the FPA registration on the bag and follow the label rate. For the how and when, see our guide to urea fertilizer, and the page on nitrogen deficiency in every crop. In anee.io, Anee, the smart farm technician, reads a photo of the leaf and tells you which nutrient is short.
To keep it away, fertilize right after harvest to push a strong flush, keep the ring weeded, and mulch in the dry season.
Potassium deficiency in durian
Edges and tips of older leaves yellow and then dry brown, and the scorch moves inward. Fruit set and fruit quality fall. Trees fed only through the soil can drop about twice as many young fruits as trees also given a high potash leaf spray. You see it most at this stage: fruit growth up to harvest, when the fruit takes the most potash.
Why potassium deficiency happens in duryan
Potash is the biggest nutrient need of bearing durian, so heavy crops drain it. Sandy and leached soils, heavy rain and long dry spells make it worse.
How to tell it apart
Fertilizer burn from a heavy dose near the trunk, and drought, also brown leaf edges. Magnesium deficiency yellows between the veins instead of along the edge. To be sure, leaf test of the second and third leaves from the shoot tip of the first flush after harvest. A soil test for exchangeable potassium.
What to apply for potassium deficiency
Give 5 kg Complete 14 14 14 per tree before flowering, then a 20 5 30 foliar feed from flower emergence through fruit growth. Fed this way, a tree can carry about 158 fruits against 41 on soil fertilizer alone. A 4 0 48 foliar feed gave the sweetest flesh. Give 1 kg Sulfate of potash 0 0 50 per tree while the fruit grows and another 1 kg before ripening. Each bearing tree needs about 2.1 to 4.0 kg potash a year. Follow the soil test. For quick help, spray Potassium nitrate 13 0 46 or Sulfate of potash at 1 percent (160 grams in a 16 liter sprayer).
- Muriate of potash 0 0 60
- Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
- Complete 14 14 14
Sold here with potassium: Atlas Muriate of Potash (MOP) by Atlas Fertilizer (0 0 60), Simplot Sulfate 0 0 50 by Nutranta, Potassium Nitrate by Parafield (13 0 46) and Qrop Mix Production 14 0 23 plus 13 Cao by Farmtech Agriland (14 0 23 with 9.3 percent calcium). Check the FPA registration on the bag and follow the label rate. For the how and when, see our guide to potash fertilizer, and the page on potassium deficiency in every crop.
To keep it away, split potash between flowering, fruit growth and before ripening, and return husks and leaves to the ring. Keep organic matter up with compost, manure or crop residues.
Phosphorus deficiency in durian
The tree grows slowly and older leaves turn dull with a purple or bronze tint, mostly on the underside. Flowering is weak and fewer flowers set fruit. You see it most at this stage: young trees, and bearing trees in the months before flowering.
Why phosphorus deficiency happens in duryan
Acid soils that hold phosphorus tightly, and low organic matter. Orchards on such soils can test below the standard leaf phosphorus range. Phosphorus is often one of the nutrients that limit durian yield.
How to tell it apart
Drought and root damage also slow growth and tint leaves. Nitrogen deficiency makes old leaves pale yellow, not purple. To be sure, leaf test of mature leaves from the last flush. A healthy leaf reading is 0.15 to 0.25 percent phosphorus. A soil test for available phosphorus and pH.
What to apply for phosphorus deficiency
For trees not yet bearing, give 445 grams superphosphate per tree with urea and potash. Before flowering, give 1 kg of a 9 25 25 fertilizer per tree. Two months before flowering, spray monopotassium or ammonium phosphate at 0.5 percent (5 grams per liter, 80 grams in a 16 liter sprayer). Repeat three to five times, two weeks apart. Lime very acid soils.
- Superphosphate 0 20 0
- 16 20 0
- Ammonium phosphate 18 46 0
- Monopotassium phosphate 0 52 34
Sold here with phosphorus: Philphos 18 46 0 (Di Ammonium Phosphate), Atlas Super Gro (16 20 0) by Atlas Fertilizer, Amigo Planters Granular Single Super Phosphate by La Filipina (0 18 0 with 11 percent sulfur) and Triple Super Phosphate by Newman Chemicals (0 46 0). Check the FPA registration on the bag and follow the label rate. For the how and when, see our guide to 16 20 0 fertilizer, and the page on phosphorus deficiency in every crop.
To keep it away, put phosphorus in the planting hole and give a high phosphorus dose before each flowering. Test the soil every two or three years.
Boron deficiency in durian
Flowering and fruit set are poor because pollination fails. Fruits come out small, misshapen or lopsided, the husk can crack or split, and the flesh can be corky and dry. Some fruits ripen unevenly, with hard, leathery, whitish flesh that lacks smell and taste, which shows only when opened. Leaves yellow along the edges, then brown, and can be brittle or deformed. You see it most at this stage: flowering, fruit set and fruit growth.
Why boron deficiency happens in duryan
Every crop removes boron from the tree. Sandy or leached soils low in organic matter and dry spells make it worse. Large fleshed varieties such as Monthong (D159), Musang King (D197) and D24 show uneven ripening more often.
How to tell it apart
Phytophthora fruit rot gives brown, wet patches on the husk that spread, not dry cracks. Uneven ripening can also follow a new leaf flush or heavy rain during fruit growth. To be sure, leaf test and soil test for boron. Set the rate from both tests, because boron is easy to overdo. In a soil test, less than 0.5 ppm of boron is low.
What to apply for boron deficiency
From flowering through fruiting, spray the leaves with Solubor mixed with calcium. Use 0.5 to 1 gram per liter (8 to 16 grams in a 16 liter sprayer). A boron fertilizer to the soil based on tests. Spray boron with calcium and fermented goat urine on the leaves for the most fruits per tree. Boron raised the edible portion and sweetness. Too much boron is toxic, so do not repeat high doses without a test. Give 25 to 50 grams of Borax a young tree and 50 to 100 grams a bearing tree a year, spread evenly under the canopy.
- Solubor
- Borax
Sold here with boron: Etifert 11 (Borax Decahydrate) by Zetryl Chem (11 percent boron), Fertibagra 15G by Unilox Far East Resources (14.6 percent boron), B17 (Boric Acid) by Newman Chemicals (17 percent boron) and Better Yield by Bacphil Planters Fertilizer (0 0 0.9 with 10 percent boron). Check the FPA registration on the bag and follow the label rate. For the how and when, see our guide to foliar fertilizer, and the page on boron deficiency in every crop.
To keep it away, add a small boron dose each season on sandy or low boron soils, keep organic matter up, and water during dry spells. Test the soil every two or three years.
Calcium deficiency in durian
Calcium does not move from old leaves to new ones. So the newest leaves, shoot tips and root tips suffer first: tips and edges of young leaves brown, and growing tips can die. Fruit quality falls. In a short tree, leaf tests read well below the standard calcium range. You see it most at this stage: new flushes and fruit growth.
Why calcium deficiency happens in duryan
Very acid, leached soils, heavy potash or ammonium fertilizer that crowds out calcium. Dry spells that slow calcium flow to the fruit. Calcium is often one of the nutrients that limit durian orchards.
How to tell it apart
Boron deficiency also hurts young tissue and fruit, and the two often come together, which is why sprays mix them. Leaf tip burn can also come from fertilizer or salt burn. To be sure, leaf test of mature leaves from the last flush. A healthy leaf reading is 1.7 to 2.5 percent calcium. A soil test for pH and calcium.
What to apply for calcium deficiency
On acid soils apply Agricultural lime or Dolomite in the ring, following the soil test. Where pH is fine, Gypsum adds calcium without raising pH. During flowering and fruit growth, During flowering and fruit growth, spray Solubor mixed with calcium. A calcium leaf spray with boron gives the best yield and return. Follow the label for calcium spray rates. On acid soil give 0.5 to 1 kg of Agricultural lime or Dolomite a tree a year. Where the soil is not acid, Gypsum at the same rate. For quick help on fruit and young leaves, spray Calcium nitrate at 0.5 to 1 percent (80 to 160 grams in a 16 liter sprayer) every 7 to 10 days from fruit set.
- Agricultural lime
- Dolomite
- Gypsum
- Calcium nitrate
Sold here with calcium: Planters Products Lifelime (36.2 percent calcium), Dolomite by A6 Agrisource (24 percent calcium and 11 percent magnesium), Calcipro by Ramgo (15.5 0 0 with 18.8 percent calcium) and Philphos Gypsum (22.2 percent calcium and 17.4 percent sulfur). Check the FPA registration on the bag and follow the label rate. For the how and when, see our guide to fertilizer for tomatoes, and the page on calcium deficiency in every crop.
To keep it away, test and lime acid soils before planting and every few years, keep potash and calcium in balance, and water during dry spells.
Magnesium deficiency in durian
Older leaves yellow between the veins while the veins stay dark green. In bad cases growth slows, new leaves are smaller and lower leaves drop. You see it most at this stage: bearing trees, often after heavy potash feeding and in the months before flowering.
Why magnesium deficiency happens in duryan
Magnesium and sulfur are often the nutrients durian lacks most two months before flowering. Heavy potash, acid leached soils and heavy rain bring it on.
How to tell it apart
Potassium deficiency browns the leaf edges instead of yellowing between the veins. Nitrogen deficiency yellows the whole old leaf, veins included. To be sure, leaf test of mature leaves from the last flush, and a soil test for magnesium, potassium and calcium together.
What to apply for magnesium deficiency
On acid soils apply Dolomite. Where pH is fine, use Magnesium sulfate or Kieserite, following the soil test. Two months after harvest, spray magnesium on the leaves at 0.4 to 0.5 percent. That is 4 to 5 grams per liter, or 64 to 80 grams in a 16 liter sprayer. Repeat two or three times, two weeks apart, to feed the new flush. Give 100 to 250 grams of Kieserite or Magnesium sulfate a tree a year, or Dolomite on acid soil.
- Dolomite
- Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt)
- Kieserite
Sold here with magnesium: Dolomite by A6 Agrisource (24 percent calcium and 11 percent magnesium), Agsmart Kieserite Granule (20 percent sulfur and 16.3 percent magnesium), DDDD Planter's Choice Magnesium Sulphate Monohydrate by Modern Time (15.1 percent magnesium) and Zetryl MAG 9 by Zetryl Chem (9 percent magnesium). Check the FPA registration on the bag and follow the label rate. For the how and when, see our guide to complete fertilizer, and the page on magnesium deficiency in every crop.
To keep it away, use Dolomite when liming and keep potash and magnesium in balance.
A soil test is the surest check for any durian nutrient deficiency. Before you buy, ask your Municipal Agriculture Office where to send a soil sample. The DA regional soil laboratories test soil, and the result says how much of each fertilizer your duryan needs. That saves money, because extra fertilizer is money lost.
Open the Nutrient Deficiency Finder, pick duryan, say where the leaves changed first and what you see, and get the fertilizers sold here that fix it.
- Anee, the smart farm technician, reads a photo of the leaf
- The cropping calendar dates every fertilizer application of your season
Durian nutrient deficiency questions
Why are my duryan leaves turning yellow?
What fertilizer fixes nitrogen deficiency in durian?
What fertilizer fixes potassium deficiency in durian?
What fertilizer fixes phosphorus deficiency in durian?
How do I know which nutrient my duryan lacks?
- Haifa: Durian trees, fertigation and foliar feeding recommendation
- NParks Singapore (Jiang Qiuyun): Identifying nutrient deficiency in plants
- U.S. Borax crop guide: Boron deficiency in durian
- Gonzaga, Gonzaga and Cabahug 2018, Improving productivity and fruit quality of durian by enhanced fertilization in Southern Philippines (Acta Horticulturae 1213)
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