Field library

Zinc Deficiency (Khaira)

In rice, rusty brown patches spread on the lower leaves two to three weeks after transplanting, plants stay short and tillering stalls. It is most common on freshly levelled land, high-pH soils and fields given heavy phosphorus, which locks zinc away from the roots.

How to scout

Look for patches rather than an evenly yellow field — deficiency follows the levelling cuts where topsoil was scraped away.