Spray injury: spots and twists after the tank, not a slow shortage
It arrives in hours or a day, not over a week of yellowing.
- Spots, twist and heart-leaf distortion within days of a spray — fast, not a slow deficiency.
- Ask what was sprayed.
- Nutrient shortage follows leaf position and creeps; spray injury has a clear spray time and hits hard.
- Disease spreads; spray injury often matches the spray bout and the walking line.
- Don’t spray again on injury; don’t treat twist as zinc and pour more.
- Dilution: Follow the label strictly. Don’t cut the water or add extra chemical. In heat, the local agronomist would rather you go thin than thick
- Name what you see before you feed.
- If leaves, roots and the surface disagree, stop.
What you see in the field
Spots, twist and heart-leaf distortion within days of a spray — fast, not a slow deficiency. Ask what was sprayed.Ask what was applied, and how much. Injury in a line with granules in the seed furrow matches this page. Scattered patches look more like disease. Do not stack another bag.
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 “Nutrient shortage”
Nutrient shortage follows leaf position and creeps; spray injury has a clear spray time and hits hard.
Looks like “Disease”
Disease spreads; spray injury often matches the spray bout and the walking line.
Do this / don’t do that
- 1Compare the worst plants with a neighbour ridge. Photograph whole plant, close-up and soil surface before you add fertiliser.
- 2Match roots, leaves and the soil surface to this guide. If they do not line up, do not copy a bag count.
- 3Use the rate range on this page only as a range. Confirm with a local station and the product label.
Don’t do this first
- Don’t spray again on injury; don’t treat twist as zinc and pour more.
Rate range
Dilution
Follow the label strictly. Don’t cut the water or add extra chemical
In heat, the local agronomist would rather you go thin than thick.
Mixing
If you are not sure, don’t mix
If it goes wrong, stop first.
These are ranges. Confirm with your local extension station and the product label.
How soon after a spray or a feed it showed
A 1–3 day burst looks more like spray injury / fertiliser burn.
When you see Spots, test. Mix several spots of the tilled layer; skip the edge and the manure heap.
Lesson video
2026-03-06 · 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