ibps-so 2016 · Question 325 of 394

A eld o cer inspecting a maize crop before releasing the second instalment of a crop loan nds that the de ciency symptom complained of by the borrower has appeared rst on the oldest, lowermost leaves of the plant, which have turned pale and then dried from the tip backwards along the midrib, while the youngest leaves at the top of the plant are still green and normal. The plants are stunted and the stand is thin. The o cer explains to the borrower that a nutrient which moves freely within the plant is withdrawn from the older tissue and sent to the growing point when the supply from the soil falls short, so that its de ciency always shows itself rst on the older leaves, whereas a nutrient that cannot be so moved shows its de ciency rst on the youngest leaves.

1. AIron
2. BCalcium
3. CNitrogenCorrect
4. DBoron
5. EZinc The nutrient whose de ciency symptoms appear rst on the older or lower leaves is