Suggested Action based on Soil Copper Levels Even with this improved confidence in a copper soil test, farmers are still encouraged to scout their fields and look for other indicators of copper deficiency. There are several other indicators that can be used to paint a clearer picture as to the need for copper. Figure 2 . Copper deficiencies appear in patches Figure 3 . Stem melanosis related to copper shortage Figure 5 .
All micronutrients tend to have an indicator crop.
With copper the sensitive crop is wheat. A field that has consistently grown good crops of pulses and canola yet produces disappointing wheat yields could be an indication of a copper shortage. Soil Type Most confirmed copper deficiencies have occurred on either peat soils or thick black sandy soils. Copper deficiencies in the Brown and Dark Brown soil zones are very rare. In fact nearly all confirmed cases of copper deficiency occur along the northern fringes of the grain producing area.