Symptom differential

Leaf Tip Burn

Necrosis at leaf tips is common but nonspecific. It may appear with high root-zone ionic concentration, water-balance stress, nutrient imbalance, or prior injury.

Pattern questions

  • Is only the terminal tip affected or are margins progressing too?
  • Are many leaves affected at the same time?
  • Is EC elevated relative to the crop's recent baseline?
  • Are leaf posture and transpiration conditions otherwise normal?

Plausible cause categories

  • High root-zone EC
  • Nutrient imbalance
  • Water-balance stress
  • Root injury
  • Localized physical or chemical injury

Discriminating checks

  • Measure root-zone EC with a documented method
  • Inspect roots and irrigation uniformity
  • Compare new growth after adjustments
  • Review recent feed-strength changes

Red flags

  • Rapid expansion into margins
  • Concurrent wilting
  • Root-zone odor or sloughing
  • Only one branch affected

Visual study guide

  • Tip-only versus margin progression
  • EC context panel
  • New-versus-old damage timeline
  • Irrigation-uniformity map

Connected learning

Use the next piece of evidence

Move between reference material, measurement, field records, and whole-plant context instead of treating one page as the complete answer.