Plant Nutrient Deficiency Laboratory
Diagnose a mystery plant's hidden nutrient deficiency from real symptom patterns - which leaves are affected and how - then submit your answer.
About the Plant Nutrient Deficiency Laboratory
Free plant nutrient deficiency laboratory. Diagnose a mystery plant's hidden nutrient deficiency from real symptom patterns - which leaves are affected and how - then submit your answer. Drag, change the sliders and see the result live. No sign-up, works on phone and computer. Built for botany, the plant nutrient deficiency laboratory runs instantly in your browser: change a setting or drag an object and the result updates at once, so you learn by trying things out rather than only reading about them.
Diagnose a mystery plant's hidden nutrient deficiency from real symptom patterns - which leaves are affected and how - then submit your answer. Use it to explore botany ideas at your own pace, then check what you found against the key ideas further down this page.
How to use the Plant Nutrient Deficiency Laboratory
- Use the controls to change Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Magnesium (Mg), Iron (Fe), and more. The simulation reacts instantly.
- Press "New mystery plant", "Reset to defaults", "📄 Lab Report" to start, reset or change what is happening.
- Where you see a glowing handle, object, weight or atom, drag it with your mouse or finger. Everything responds in real time.
- Watch the readouts and graphs update as you experiment, and compare what you see with the key ideas below.
Things to try
- Watch which leaves - old or young - show the symptom first before guessing.
- Check the symptom reference tab if you are unsure of a pattern.
- Try to diagnose correctly on your first try three mystery plants in a row.
- Raise the correct nutrient slider and confirm the symptom fades.
Key ideas you can learn
- Mobile nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium) are pulled from older leaves and resent to new growth when scarce, so older leaves show symptoms first.
- Immobile nutrients (iron, calcium) cannot be relocated, so new growth shows symptoms first while old leaves stay normal.
- Nitrogen deficiency causes uniform yellowing of old leaves; iron deficiency causes interveinal yellowing of young leaves with veins still green.
- Potassium deficiency typically scorches leaf edges; calcium deficiency distorts and kills the growing tips.
Where this is used in the real world
Farmers and agronomists diagnose nutrient deficiencies from exactly these leaf patterns to decide which fertiliser a crop actually needs, instead of guessing.
Who is this simulation for?
Students, teachers and curious learners of all ages.
For teachers: project it on the board, let students predict what will happen, then run it together. For students: change one thing at a time and write down what changes.
Frequently asked questions
Why do nitrogen and iron deficiency look so different even though both cause yellowing?
Nitrogen is mobile and gets moved out of old leaves first, so they yellow uniformly; iron is immobile and stays put, so only the new leaves that never got enough iron turn pale between the veins.
How can you tell nitrogen deficiency from magnesium deficiency?
Both affect old leaves first, but nitrogen deficiency yellows the whole leaf including the veins, while magnesium deficiency leaves the veins green (interveinal chlorosis).
Is the Plant Nutrient Deficiency Laboratory free to use?
Yes. It is completely free, with no signup, no download and no ads inside the simulation. It runs in your web browser.
Does the Plant Nutrient Deficiency Laboratory work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. It uses touch as well as the mouse, so you can drag objects with your finger. A larger screen makes the controls easier to see.