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Manganese shortage: new leaves speckle between the veins

High pH locks manganese the way it locks iron.

Nutrient shortage
Speed
  1. New leaves yellow between veins, often with brown or grey specks.
  2. Wheat shows it clearly.
  3. Iron lock: green veins, yellow flesh, few spots. Manganese shortage often carries brown specks.
  4. Spray injury 1–3 days after the bout, along droplets; manganese shortage spreads slowly.
  5. Don’t tank-mix it with iron and zinc as a blast; don’t skip pH and only add manganese.
  6. Foliar manganese sulphate (after manganese is confirmed): Labelled lower rate, twice on new leaves. A small patch first. Soil-applied: follow a soil test
  7. Name what you see before you feed.
  8. If leaves, roots and the surface disagree, stop.

What you see in the field

New leaves yellow between veins, often with brown or grey specks. Wheat shows it clearly.First the leaf position: new or old, even yellow or between the veins. If that does not match, do not fertilise yet. Pull one plant and read whether the roots are white, brown or foul.

A sketch. Do not fertilise from the picture alone.

Tap to enlarge. The caption says what to photograph. Missing field photos are marked as to-be-added.

Why it looks like this

The field looks like this because the root cannot take water or nutrients the usual way. Fix the soil condition first — drainage, salt, acidity, compaction or a salt of fertiliser — then a thin feed. Rates live in the range on this page; confirm with a local station and the label.

Easy to mix up

  • Looks like “Iron lock”

    Iron lock: green veins, yellow flesh, few spots. Manganese shortage often carries brown specks.

  • Looks like “Spray-injury spots”

    Spray injury 1–3 days after the bout, along droplets; manganese shortage spreads slowly.

Do this / don’t do that

  1. 1New leaves yellow between veins, often with brown or grey specks. Wheat shows it clearly.
  2. 2Test manganese and pH. Foliar on the label, small patch. Fix extreme pH; don’t only spray.
  3. 3Don’t tank-mix it with iron and zinc as a blast. Use the range on this page only as a range. Confirm with a local station and the product label.

Don’t do this first

  • Don’t tank-mix it with iron and zinc as a blast; don’t skip pH and only add manganese.

Rate range

Foliar manganese sulphate (after manganese is confirmed)

Labelled lower rate, twice on new leaves. A small patch first

Soil-applied: follow a soil test.

These are ranges. Confirm with your local extension station and the product label.

Available manganese

The number behind brown specks on new leaves

Too-acid sand often runs low.

pH

After a pH lift, manganese can be pinned

Right after a pH lift, look harder.

When you see New leaves yellow between veins, test. If the leaf and the soil disagree, test before you pour.

Lesson video

2026-03-17 · Li Zeyu · For learning. Serious damage: local agronomist or a soil test.

For learning only. Fertiliser and pesticide decisions need a local agronomist and a soil test.

Not sure? Photograph the field to identify the problem