Nutrient guides

Potassium Deficiency in Plants: Signs, Causes and How to Fix It

Potassium deficiency in plants starts on the old, lower leaves. Potassium runs the plant's water use by opening and closing the pores of the leaf, and it switches on many enzymes. It moves sugars into grain, fruit and roots, so it decides grain weight, fruit size and quality. It also keeps stems strong against lodging and helps the crop stand up to drought, pests and diseases. Here are the signs in each crop, what brings it, how to be sure and the fertilizer that fixes it.

15 min read Updated October 18, 2026 By the anee.io agriculture team Read it all with Libre + Anee

Photo: Scot Nelson, CC0 1.0, via Flickr

Potassium is very mobile in the plant and shifts from old leaves to new growth when the supply runs low. So the scorched edges show first on the older, lower leaves and climb up the plant if the shortage goes on.

Potassium deficiency symptoms

The edges and tips of older leaves turn yellow, then brown and dry, as if burned. But the middle of the leaf stays green. Brown spots may appear on the leaves, stems grow thin and weak, and plants lodge more easily. Rice plants look dark green with brown leaf edges, and many grains stay empty. In banana the old leaves yellow and die early, the midrib tip bends down, and bunches and fingers stay small.

Potassium deficiency by crop

Each crop shows it its own way. So find yours in the tables below, then open its page for the photo and the full fix, like the one for potassium in rice.

Rice

Potassium deficiency in rice
Crop	The first sign	Fix with
Palay	Dark green plants whose lower leaves dry yellow brown at the tips and edges.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50

Corn and Sorghum

Potassium deficiency in corn and sorghum
Crop	The first sign	Fix with
Mais	Lower leaves dry brown along the edges while the middle stays green, and stalks break and fall.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Complete 14 14 14
Batad	Older leaves dry at the tips and edges, with red specks and brown streaks.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Complete 14 14 14

Legumes

Potassium deficiency in legumes
Crop	The first sign	Fix with
Monggo	Yellow patches on the edges of the lower leaves join up, with dark spots and curled edges.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Complete 14 14 14
Mani	Lower leaves pale slightly between the veins, then the leaf edges turn yellow and dry.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60
Utaw	Older leaves yellow in blotches from the edges inward.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Complete 14 14 14
Sitaw	Older leaflets yellow at the tips and edges, then brown, while pods stay short.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Complete 14 14 14
Paayap	Older leaflets yellow at the tips and margins, go brown, then fall.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Complete 14 14 14
Sigarilyas	Older leaves yellow and scorch at the edges, and the vines fix less nitrogen.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Complete 14 14 14
Patani	Edges of the older leaves yellow and scorch.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Complete 14 14 14
Kadyos	Leaf tips yellow then scorch, with a yellow band between the dead edge and the green.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Complete 14 14 14

Root Crops

Potassium deficiency in root crops
Crop	The first sign	Fix with
Kamote	Older leaves yellow and scorch at the edges and roll up, and roots stay small.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Kamoteng kahoy	Older leaves yellow between the veins and scorch at the edges. Plants branch a lot and sprawl.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Complete 14 14 14
Gabi	Slow plants that wilt easily, with scorched edges or brown spots in the middle of older leaves.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Ubi	Lighter green crop with fine yellow between the veins of young mature leaves. Lower leaves brown from the tips at tuber filling.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Complete 14 14 14
Patatas	Leaflets crinkle, tips burn and dead patches form between green veins, turning the leaf scorched and dark.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Karot	Older leaves pale and scorch at the edges, which cup backward, and roots show violet streaks.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Labanos	Older leaves scorch at the edges, brown and collapse, and curl backward.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Complete 14 14 14
Luya	Older leaves yellow and burn at the edges, with dead spots, and plants wilt easily.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Complete 14 14 14
Luyang dilaw	Leaf edges burn brown, with dead spots, short internodes and plants that wilt easily.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50

Vegetables

Potassium deficiency in vegetables
Crop	The first sign	Fix with
Petsay	Older leaves get a light brown, dry band along the edges that curls up.	Complete 14 14 14, Muriate of potash 0 0 60
Repolyo	Older leaves get a light brown, withered band along the edges that curls up.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Litsugas	Older leaves get yellow spots on the edges that die and scorch, and heads stay loose.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Kangkong	Older leaves look greyish, then bronze, with brown edges.	Complete 14 14 14, Muriate of potash 0 0 60
Mustasa	Older leaves get light brown, dry edges that curl up.	Complete 14 14 14, Muriate of potash 0 0 60
Brokoli	Older leaves yellow, then brown from the edges with a sharp border.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Koliplor	Older leaf edges turn yellow, then light to dark brown, and curl up.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Alugbati	Older leaves get bronze, brown edges that curl down.	Complete 14 14 14, Muriate of potash 0 0 60
Saluyot	Older leaves bronze and brown at the edges and curl down.	Complete 14 14 14, Muriate of potash 0 0 60
Kintsay	Older leaves look ashy grey green, then bronze, with brown, downturned edges.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Kamatis	Old leaves get scorched, curled edges and the fruit ripens in green or yellow blotches.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Talong	Older leaves get scorched, crinkled edges and stems feel weak.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Ampalaya	Old leaves scorch and cup, shoot tips die back and fewer female flowers open.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Kalabasa	Old leaves scorch and cup up, and fewer female flowers and good fruits form.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Pipino	Old leaf edges yellow and scorch to dry paper, and fruits stay thin at the stem end.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Okra	Older leaves yellow and scorch at the edges while the leaf base stays dark green.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Sili	Leaf tips and edges burn brown and leaves crinkle and curl.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Atsal	Dark green leaves droop and wilt, with small sunken whitish spots and burnt edges.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Patola	Old leaf edges yellow, then brown and cup, while fruits fill poorly.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Upo	Old leaves scorch and cup up, shoots die back, and few female flowers open.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Sayote	Older leaves look grey green, then bronze with brown, downturned edges.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Complete 14 14 14
Pakwan	Old leaves scorch and cup up, and fruits have poor flesh and weak flavour.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Milon	Old leaves scorch and cup up, and fruits are poorly flavoured and spotted.	Sulfate of potash 0 0 50, Muriate of potash 0 0 60
Presa	Mature leaves brown and dry along the edges, with sunken brown spots and dark leaf stalks.	Sulfate of potash 0 0 50, Potassium nitrate 13 0 46

Onion and Garlic

Potassium deficiency in onion and garlic
Crop	The first sign	Fix with
Sibuyas	Leaves first turn darker green, then the tips of older leaves wilt, droop and turn papery.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Sibuyas na mura	Dark green leaves whose older tips wilt, droop and turn papery.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Bawang	Older leaves yellow and die along the edges, and bulbs stay small and store poorly.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Sibuyas Tagalog	Leaves turn darker, older tips wilt and burn, and bulbs stay small.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50

Sugarcane and Industrial Crops

Potassium deficiency in sugarcane and industrial crops
Crop	The first sign	Fix with
Tubo	Old leaves turn yellow orange with scorched edges and red midribs, while the young leaves stay dark green.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Pinya	Old leaves get yellow to orange spots and dry tips while young leaves stay dark green. The fruit is small and sour.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Tabako	The tips and edges of the middle leaves turn yellow, then brown to black, and the cured leaf burns poorly.	Sulfate of potash 0 0 50, Ammonium sulfate 21 0 0
Bulak	Yellow white mottling on leaf tips and edges that turns brown. Leaves curl, turn reddish brown and drop early, and bolls stay small.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Abaka	Old leaves yellow and scorch orange brown from the tip and edges. Short plants.	Complete 14 14 14, Muriate of potash 0 0 60
Goma	Old leaves yellow at the tips and edges, then the edges die brown. Leaves come out smaller.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Complete 14 14 14
Palma	Orange spots on the leaflets of old fronds that join into orange patches.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Complete 14 14 14
Kawayan	Older leaves yellow and scorch brown at the tips and edges.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Complete 14 14 14

Fruits and Plantation Crops

Potassium deficiency in fruits and plantation crops
Crop	The first sign	Fix with
Saging	Old leaves turn orange yellow from the tip, the edges scorch brown and the midrib bends.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Papaya	Old leaves get lemon yellow edges that die brown, purplish brown patches show at the base of leaf stalks, and fruit come out misshapen.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Mangga	Old leaves get grey to brown dead edges and scattered yellow to orange spots. Fruit stays small.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Niyog	Old fronds show see through yellow to orange spots near the tips, then dead leaflet edges.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Ammonium sulfate 21 0 0
Kalamansi	Old leaf edges pale yellow to bronze, small wrinkled leaves, and small thin skinned fruit that may split.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Citrus, dalandan or ponkan	Old leaf edges yellow to bronze. Small fruit that split from the blossom end or show sunken creases in the peel.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Suha	Few flowers and fruit, poor fruit set and light fruit. Older leaf edges yellow to bronze.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Langka	Edges of older leaves yellow and then burn brown. Fruits stay small with thin flakes.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Abukado	Old leaves yellow between the veins and along the edge, turning tan then brown. Leaves curve down.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Bayabas	Older leaves yellow and scorch at the edges. Weak stems, small and few fruits.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Lansones	Older leaflets scorch brown at the tips and edges. Bunches carry small, sour fruits.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Rambutan	Older leaflets scorch brown at the edges. Fruits stay small and less sweet.	Sulfate of potash 0 0 50, Muriate of potash 0 0 60
Duryan	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
Mangostan	Older leaf edges yellow and burn brown. Fewer flowers set fruit.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Sapodilla	Light brown specks over the leaf that join into dead patches between the large veins.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Atis	Yellowish spots along the leaf edges that spread and turn brown, starting on older leaves.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Guyabano	Older leaves yellow from the tip and edges inward, then the edges brown and die.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Santol	Older leaflets scorch brown along the edges and tips. Fruits stay small and poor.	Complete 14 14 14, Muriate of potash 0 0 60
Kaimito	Edges and tips of older leaves scorch brown. Fruits stay small and poor in quality.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Sampalok	Tips and edges of older leaflets scorch brown. Pods stay small and poorly filled.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Kasoy	Old leaf edges turn pale yellow then brown. Purple spots under the leaf. Light nuts.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Saniata	Older stems yellow and dry at the edges, and fruit come small, light and less sweet.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Kape	Old leaves get a yellow band at the edge, then dark brown dead spots that join into a burnt edge. The centre stays green.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Sulfate of potash 0 0 50
Kakaw	Old leaves get reddish yellow patches between the side veins that die from the tip and edge, with a wavy yellow border.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Complete 14 14 14
Malunggay	Older leaflets yellow and scorch at the edges, and pods stay short and thin.	Muriate of potash 0 0 60, Complete 14 14 14

What causes potassium deficiency

Sandy soils and old, highly weathered acid soils hold little potassium, and heavy rain or typhoon floods wash it out. Heavy use of urea or 16 20 0 with little or no potash drains the soil. So does hauling away or burning straw. Every harvest carries potassium away, and surveys found it short in some coconut areas. Poorly drained, waterlogged soils and soils very rich in magnesium also keep roots from taking it up.

How to be sure it is potassium

Magnesium shortage also starts on old leaves, but it yellows the leaf between the veins instead of burning the edges. In banana, manganese shortage looks alike but starts on the young leaves. Salt damage from too much fertilizer also scorches leaf edges. A soil test for exchangeable potassium, from a soil test kit or a DA Regional Soils Laboratory, shows if the soil is short. A leaf tissue test confirms it. In lowland rice, the MOET pots show missing potassium as short, poorly growing plants.

How to fix potassium deficiency

Apply muriate of potash (0 0 60), sulfate of potash (0 0 50) or 14 14 14. Return straw, ash and compost. For coconut palms 5 years and older, a typical rate is 1.5 to 2 kg of muriate of potash per palm a year. Let the soil test set the rate. On saline soils split the dose or use sulfate of potash, which adds less salt.

A potassium nitrate (13 0 44) spray helps vegetables and fruit trees recover for a short time. Use it as a quick help and keep the soil dose, which does the main work.

Fertilizers sold here that supply potassium

Registered with the FPA. Follow the label and your soil test
Product	Made or sold by	What it holds	Use
Atlas Muriate of Potash (MOP)	Atlas Fertilizer	0 0 60	On the soil
Simplot Sulfate 0 0 50	Nutranta	0 0 50	On the soil
Crown Champion Nitrogen Potassium Compound Fertilizer (Mango Inducer)	Aqua Hydroponic Prime Ventures	13.5 0 46	Soil or leaves
Qrop Mix Production 14 0 23 plus 13 Cao	Farmtech Agriland	14 0 23 with 9.3 percent calcium	On the soil
Cambiar K	Donato C. Cruz	0 0 48	On the soil
Nova Ferti K 0 0 61	Allied Botanical	0 0 61	Soil or leaves
Haifa MKP	ABG	0 52 34	Soil or leaves
Extra 4 0 48 Foliar	Everland Agri	4 0 48	On the leaves

For rates and timing, see our guides to potash fertilizer and to fertilizer application methods. Also, anee.io keeps every application on the cropping calendar, so you know what went on each lot and when.

How to keep potassium deficiency away

Replace the potassium each harvest removes, and keep straw in the field instead of burning it, or spread the ash evenly. Balance potash with nitrogen and phosphorus so the crop never runs on urea alone.

Too much is a problem too

Too much potash holds back magnesium uptake, so heavy potash can bring on magnesium shortage, mostly on sandy soils. Muriate of potash also adds salt, which can scorch leaf edges on saline soil.

Find the missing nutrient in anee.io

Pick your crop in the Nutrient Deficiency Finder, 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 in Tagalog or English

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Potassium deficiency questions

What does potassium deficiency look like?

The edges and tips of the older leaves turn yellow, then brown and dry, as if scorched. Stems grow weak, plants lodge, and grain, fruit or bunches stay small.

What is the best fertilizer for potassium deficiency?

Muriate of potash (0 0 60) is the usual and lowest cost choice. Sulfate of potash (0 0 50) suits salty soils, and a complete 14 14 14 carries potassium in smaller amounts.

Can I use salt instead of potash for coconut?

Salt supplies chlorine, which coconut needs, but it has no potassium. Use muriate of potash, not salt, where the soil lacks potassium.

Why are my banana leaves turning yellow and drying from the tips?

Potassium shortage is a common cause, starting on the oldest leaves with yellow to orange tips that turn brown. Check with a soil or leaf test, because magnesium shortage and salt damage can look similar.

Sources

Yara Philippines, Potassium deficiency in banana

Find the missing nutrient and fix it

With Libre + Anee, read the whole guide: how to tell the deficiency from look alikes, how to be sure, what to apply, and the fertilizers sold here that supply it.

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