Explore common causes and disorders related to white leaves in Bengal Gram cultivation, and sharpen your diagnostic skills for healthier crop management.
A Bengal Gram field shows pale white leaves, especially at the tips, while older leaves remain green. Which deficiency is most likely responsible for this symptom?
Explanation: Iron deficiency often causes young leaves to become pale or white due to its role in chlorophyll formation, with older leaves staying green. Potassium toxicity and magnesium excess rarely cause such symptoms in Bengal Gram. Boron deficiency more commonly results in bud and root issues, not widespread whitening of new leaves.
During early growth, Bengal Gram plants display scattered white patches on their leaves, sometimes surrounded by brown margins. Which disease most likely causes these symptoms?
Explanation: Ascochyta blight often initiates as white spots or patches with brown borders on leaves, especially in cool, damp weather. Powdery mildew produces a characteristic powdery white layer instead. Fusarium wilt causes yellowing and wilting rather than white spots, and bacterial leaf spot leads to dark, water-soaked lesions.
If Bengal Gram plants develop white leaves after a strong pesticide application, followed by leaf burning, what is the most probable cause?
Explanation: Excessive or improper pesticide use can cause phytotoxicity, leading to the whitening and subsequent burning of leaves. Zinc deficiency usually appears as interveinal chlorosis, not sudden white patches. Root nematode infestation primarily affects root health, and seed-borne viruses rarely cause acute whitening post-spraying.
After an episode of unseasonal cold temperatures, Bengal Gram leaves exhibit widespread bleaching and fail to recover. What abiotic disorder does this scenario likely indicate?
Explanation: Sudden bleaching of leaves after cold spells is a classic sign of frost injury, which damages leaf tissues. Drought stress causes wilting and browning rather than bleaching. Nutrient toxicity typically produces leaf edge burns or localized symptoms. Bacterial wilt is primarily associated with wilting, not white or bleached leaves.
White leaf tips developing on Bengal Gram during rapid growth, especially in fields with high soil pH, are most likely due to which physiological disorder?
Explanation: Iron chlorosis is common in alkaline soils and manifests as whitening or yellowing at the leaf tips, especially during rapid growth. Root rot primarily causes overall plant decline and root symptoms. Mosaic virus leads to patchy discoloration, not consistent white tips, while rust attack creates orange or brown pustules, not white leaves.