Determining critical limit of boron in soil for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract

Critical values of boron (B) for wheat nutrition in soil and plant were determined through a pot experiment with twenty-one surface soils of Alluvial flood plain and Red-latertic belt comprising three major soil orders (Entisols, Alfisols, Inceptisols) with four levels of boron. Application of boron significantly increased the dry matter yield as well as uptake of B by plants. Critical concentration of hot calcium chloride (CaCl2) extractable B in soil for wheat was found to be 0.53 mg kg−1. The critical plant B concentration varied with growth stages and values were 7.4 mg kg−1 at panicle initiation and 4.18 mg kg−1 at maturity, respectively. The findings of this investigation also recommend the application of 2 kg B−1 ha−1 for ensuring B sufficiency to wheat in Indo-gangetic alluvial and Red-Lateritic soils.