Sugar apple Nutrient Deficiency: Signs, Causes and the Fertilizer That Fixes It
Sugar apple nutrient deficiency is one of the first things to check when the leaves of your atis (sugar apple) turn yellow, purple or burnt at the edges. On Philippine farms the usual ones are nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, boron, magnesium and iron. 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 zinc, boron and iron 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 sugar apple nutrient deficiency you have, and a soil test confirms it. Each one below has its signs, its causes and its fix.
Sugar apple 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 | Older leaves fade to an even pale green, then yellow and drop early. The tree grows slowly and sets few fruits. | Urea 46 0 0, Ammonium sulfate 21 0 0 |
| Potassium | old, lower leaves, leaf edges and tips | 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 |
| Phosphorus | old, lower leaves | Bluish green or purplish trees with small mature leaves that later yellow with purple veins. | Superphosphate 0 20 0, 16 20 0 |
| Magnesium | old, lower leaves, between the veins | Leaves yellow or greenish yellow between the veins while the leaf margins stay green. | Dolomite, Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) |
Shows first on the young leaves
| Nutrient | Where it starts | What you see | Fix with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zinc | young leaves and the tip, between the veins | Young leaves yellow between the veins, bend downward and crowd on short shoots. | Zinc sulfate |
| Boron | young leaves and the tip, fruit, grain or tubers | Few fruits set, misshapen or cracked fruits, and shoot tips that stop growing. | Borax, Solubor |
| Iron | young leaves and the tip, between the veins | The newest leaves turn yellow with a fine net of green veins, and later go fully yellow. | Ferrous sulfate |
Before you buy fertilizer for a sugar apple nutrient deficiency
So use the table to pick the likeliest sugar apple 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 sugar apple
The signs are like those on its close cousin, guyabano. Older leaves near the base lose their green evenly, blade, stalk and veins alike. As it gets worse all leaves turn yellow and dull, the old ones drop early. The tree stays short with a thin stem. Fewer and smaller fruits follow. You see it most at this stage: young trees in their first years of growth, and bearing trees from flowering to fruit fill.
Why nitrogen deficiency happens in atis
Light, sandy soils, trees that get no manure or fertilizer, and heavy rain that washes nitrogen down.
How to tell it apart
Atis naturally drops many leaves in the dry or cool season, and drought makes it shed more. So yellowing before a dry spell is not always hunger. To be sure, A leaf test shows low nitrogen. New leaves that come out green and full sized after a nitrogen dose confirm it.
What to apply for nitrogen deficiency
Give nitrogen in small, frequent doses while the tree is growing, spread under the canopy and watered in. Give 250 grams of nitrogen, 125 grams of phosphate and 250 grams of potash per bearing tree a year, with 10 kg of farm manure and 1 kg of neem cake. Urea at up to 400 grams of nitrogen per tree raises atis yield and the number of fruits. Use Urea 46 0 0, Ammonium sulfate 21 0 0 or Complete 14 14 14. Give it when the rains begin and again before they end.
- 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, feed young trees about 100 grams of a complete fertilizer every 6 to 8 weeks in the growing season, then cut the number of nitrogen doses once trees start bearing so the tree puts its strength into flowers and fruit. Add manure or compost every year. Let a soil test and the crop's color set the season's nitrogen.
Potassium deficiency in sugar apple
Signs start on the older leaves. Yellowish spots form along the leaf margins, then spread over the blade and turn brown. Leaves first go greyish at the margin and later between the veins. These are the signs on custard apple (atis). Fruit set and fruit size drop when potash runs short. You see it most at this stage: bearing trees, most of all while the fruits are filling.
Why potassium deficiency happens in atis
Sandy and leached soils, heavy rain, and years of cropping with no potash returned.
How to tell it apart
Salt in the soil or water also burns leaf margins and tips and makes leaves drop. Atis does not tolerate saline soil. To be sure, A soil test for potash and a leaf test.
What to apply for potassium deficiency
Give Muriate of potash at 300 to 500 grams per tree to the soil, spread under the canopy and watered in. Split it into two doses on sandy soil. Sulfate of potash 0 0 50 or a complete fertilizer such as 14 14 14 can also be used.
- 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, feed potash every year with nitrogen and phosphate. A fertilizer with 3 percent nitrogen and 10 percent each of phosphate and potash brings atis more flowers, better fruit set and a bigger crop. Test the soil every two or three years.
Phosphorus deficiency in sugar apple
The tree looks bluish green or purplish. Mature leaves stay small, first with purplish tints and scorched patches, later turning yellow with purple veins before they die and fall early. Growth is slow. These are the signs on custard apple (atis). You see it most at this stage: young trees after planting, and trees on poor acid soils at any age.
Why phosphorus deficiency happens in atis
Acid and eroded soils low in organic matter, and trees that never get manure or a fertilizer with phosphate.
How to tell it apart
Nitrogen shortage makes leaves pale and yellow without the bluish or purple tint. Cool weather and the normal dry season leaf drop of atis can also make leaves dull before they fall. To be sure, A soil test for available phosphorus and pH, and a leaf test.
What to apply for phosphorus deficiency
Use Superphosphate to the soil. Each year give bearing trees 125 grams of phosphate each, with farm manure. Take the exact amount from the soil test. Superphosphate 0 20 0, 16 20 0 or Complete 14 14 14 can carry it, worked into the soil under the canopy.
- Superphosphate 0 20 0
- 16 20 0
- Complete 14 14 14
- Ammonium phosphate 18 46 0
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 phosphate and manure in the planting hole and give phosphate every year. Lime very acid soils according to the soil test.
Zinc deficiency in sugar apple
Leaves turn yellow between the veins, shoots grow short between the leaves, and the leaves bend downward. These are the signs on custard apple (atis). In fruit trees in general the newest leaves are hit first and stay small and narrow. You see it most at this stage: new flushes after the dry season rest, when shoots grow fast.
Why zinc deficiency happens in atis
Sandy and leached soils, and heavy phosphate fertilizer, which can hold back zinc. On acid tropical soil below pH 6.5, zinc and boron are the two trace nutrients annonas like atis need most. Custard apple is among the fruit crops that zinc shortage commonly affects.
How to tell it apart
Iron shortage also yellows young leaves, but a fine net of green veins stays and the leaves keep their size and shape. Manganese shortage gives orange yellow mottling and small brown spots. To be sure, A leaf test for zinc and a soil test for pH. Spray a few branches with zinc and see whether the next flush comes out normal. In a soil test, less than 0.8 ppm of zinc is low.
What to apply for zinc deficiency
Use a leaf spray of Zinc sulfate at 0.5 percent (5 grams per liter, 80 grams in a 16 liter sprayer) on the young flush. Repeat on the next flush if needed. On acid sandy soils zinc can also go on the soil. But on high pH soils leaf sprays work better. Give 50 to 100 grams of Zinc sulfate a young tree and 100 to 250 grams a bearing tree a year under the canopy.
- Zinc sulfate
Sold here with zinc: Harvester Zinc Sulphate Heptahydrate by Universal Harvester (22 percent zinc), Tierramino ZN by Unilox Far East Resources (7 0 0 with 10 percent zinc), Liquid Chelate Zinc with Sulfur by Sagrex (10 percent zinc and 5 percent sulfur) and Nemes Foliar by SCL Filipinas (4.8 0 0 with 10 percent zinc, 4.9 percent boron and 4.8 percent magnesium). Check the FPA registration on the bag and follow the label rate. For the how and when, see our guide to fertilizer with zinc, and the page on zinc deficiency in every crop.
To keep it away, give 2 to 4 micronutrient sprays a year with zinc, manganese and magnesium during the growing season. Avoid heavy phosphate alone. Test the soil every two or three years.
Boron deficiency in sugar apple
Growing tips and young leaves suffer first: shoot tips stop growing and may die, and new leaves stay small and misshapen. Pollination and seed development fail, so few fruits set and fruits can be lopsided or cracked. Boron given to the soil or the leaves raises atis yield and fruit number, so a short tree bears less. You see it most at this stage: flowering, fruit set and early fruit growth.
Why boron deficiency happens in atis
Sandy, leached and acid soils low in organic matter, and long dry spells. On acid soils below pH 6.5, boron and zinc are the trace nutrients to watch most in atis.
How to tell it apart
Poor fruit set in atis often comes from pollination: the flower is female first and male the next day. Dry air below about 70 percent humidity at flowering cuts fruit set. To be sure, A leaf test for boron and a soil test. Spray a few branches with boron before flowering and compare fruit set with untreated branches. In a soil test, less than 0.5 ppm of boron is low.
What to apply for boron deficiency
Apply Borax to the soil under the canopy or spray Solubor on the leaves before flowering, following the soil test and the label. Boric acid also works, given on the soil or as a leaf spray. Do not overdose, because too much boron burns leaf tips and edges. 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. A spray of Borax or Solubor at 0.1 to 0.2 percent (16 to 32 grams in a 16 liter sprayer) before flowering also works. Use the soil dose or the spray, not both.
- Borax
- Solubor
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 compost every year, and on sandy or acid soils include boron in the micronutrient sprays before flowering.
Magnesium deficiency in sugar apple
Leaves lose color, and the areas between the veins turn yellow or greenish yellow while the leaf margins stay green. These are the signs on custard apple (atis). As in other fruit trees, magnesium shortage shows first on the older leaves. You see it most at this stage: bearing trees during fruit growth, and trees fed heavy potash.
Why magnesium deficiency happens in atis
Acid, sandy and leached soils, and heavy potash fertilizer, which competes with magnesium.
How to tell it apart
Potassium shortage starts at the leaf margin with yellow spots that turn brown, while magnesium shortage keeps the margin green. Iron and zinc shortage start on young leaves. To be sure, A soil test for magnesium, potash and calcium together, and a leaf test.
What to apply for magnesium deficiency
Use Dolomite on the soil. On acid soils it supplies both lime and magnesium, and the soil test gives the amount. Where the pH is already fine, Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) or Kieserite can go on the soil, following the label. On high pH soils magnesium works better as a leaf spray. Give 100 to 250 grams of Kieserite or Magnesium sulfate a tree a year, or Dolomite on acid soil. For quick help, spray Magnesium sulfate at 1 to 2 percent (160 to 320 grams in a 16 liter sprayer) two or three times, 10 to 14 days apart.
- 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 a fertilizer that carries magnesium. Use mixes such as 6 6 6 3 and 8 3 9 5 with magnesium for atis. Balance potash with magnesium according to the soil test.
Iron deficiency in sugar apple
Signs start on the youngest leaves. At first even the smallest veins stay green, which leaves a fine net of green veins on a yellow leaf. Later the whole leaf turns yellow, but it does not die or scorch. Older leaves stay green. These are the signs on custard apple (atis). You see it most at this stage: new flushes, mostly on limestone or high pH soils.
Why iron deficiency happens in atis
High pH, limestone (calcareous) soils, where iron is locked up. Custard apple is more sensitive to this than most fruit crops. Too much phosphate also brings it on.
How to tell it apart
Zinc shortage also yellows young leaves, but the leaves bend down and crowd on short shoots. Manganese shortage leaves wider green bands along the veins with small brown spots. To be sure, A soil test for pH (iron trouble is likely above pH 7). Leaf tests for iron are not reliable. So a soil drench of iron on a few trees that greens the next flush is the better check.
What to apply for iron deficiency
Give Ferrous sulfate at 0.5 kg per tree to the soil. Use iron sulfate on low pH sandy soils. But on limestone and high pH soils a chelated iron made for high pH soils, mixed with water and drenched under the canopy. Soil drenches, not leaf sprays, keep the shortage away. Spray Ferrous sulfate at 0.5 to 1 percent (80 to 160 grams in a 16 liter sprayer), or an iron chelate at the label rate, two or three times 7 to 10 days apart.
- Ferrous sulfate
Sold here with iron: DDDD Planter's Choice Ferrous Sulphate Heptahydrate by Modern Time (19 percent iron), Ferrous Sulfate Monohydrate by Zetryl Chem (30 percent iron), Ferrous Sulphate Monohydrate by Newman Chemicals (30 percent iron) and Liquid Chelate Iron with Sulfur by Sagrex (5 percent iron and 3 percent sulfur). 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 iron deficiency in every crop.
To keep it away, do not overlime, avoid heavy phosphate, and plant atis on well drained ground, since waterlogging also yellows and weakens it. Test the soil every two or three years. Keep organic matter up with compost, manure or crop residues.
A soil test is the surest check for any sugar apple 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 atis needs. That saves money, because extra fertilizer is money lost.
Open the Nutrient Deficiency Finder, pick atis, 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
Sugar apple nutrient deficiency questions
Why are my atis leaves turning yellow?
What fertilizer fixes nitrogen deficiency in sugar apple?
What fertilizer fixes potassium deficiency in sugar apple?
What fertilizer fixes phosphorus deficiency in sugar apple?
How do I know which nutrient my atis lacks?
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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