Submitted to: Applied Sciences
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/22/2025
Publication Date: 8/22/2025
Citation: Clade, D., Veazie, P., Boldt, J.K., Hicks, K., Currey, C., Flax, N., Walters, K., Whipker, B. 2025. Establishing leaf tissue nutrient standards and documenting nutrient disorder symptomology of greenhouse-grown cilantro (Coriandrum sativum). Applied Sciences. 15. Article 9266. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15179266.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/app15179266

Interpretive Summary: Culinary herb production in greenhouses has increased. A need for optimized production practices exists for this crop, including for fertilizer recommendations. Current nutrient guidelines exist for field-grown but not greenhouse-grown cilantro. This research visually documented foliar tissue nutrient deficiency symptoms for greenhouse-grown cilantro. It also defined deficient, low, sufficient, high, and excessive concentrations for 12 plant essential elements. This visual guide and defined ranges for each element will help growers better identify when greenhouse-grown cilantro plants are deficient or excessive in a particular element and guide what corrective action to take. This will improve cilantro crop growth and reduce overuse of fertilizers.

Technical Abstract: Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum L.) is a popular annual culinary herb grown for its leaves or seeds. With the increase in hydroponic herb production in controlled environments, a need exists for leaf tissue nutrient standards specific to this production system. The objective of this study was to develop comprehensive foliar mineral nutrient interpretation ranges for greenhouse-grown cilantro. Cilantro plants were grown in a hydroponic sand culture system to induce and document nutritional disorders. Plants were supplied with a modified Hoagland’s solution, which was adjusted to individually add or omit one nutrient per treatment while holding all others constant. Deficiency and toxicity symptoms were photographed, after which the plant tissue was collected to determine plant dry weight and critical tissue nutrient concentrations. Additional foliar tissue analysis data (n=463) were compiled to create nutrient interpretation ranges for 12 essential elements based on the Sufficiency Range Approach (SRA). This approach defines ranges for deficient, low, sufficient, high, and excessive values. For each element, the optimal distribution was selected according to the lowest Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) value. A Normal distribution best represented potassium and sulfur. A Gamma distribution best represented phosphorus, calcium, manganese, and molybdenum, whereas a Weibull distribution best represented nitrogen, magnesium, boron, copper, iron, and zinc. These interpretation ranges, along with descriptions of typical symptomology and critical tissue nutrient concentrations, provide useful tools for both diagnosing nutritional disorders and interpreting foliar nutrient analysis results of greenhouse-grown cilantro.