Abstract
The diagnosis of boron deficiency in coconut palms has been hampered by lack of information about its distribution in the plant. Two experiments were conducted, one in a greenhouse to induce boron deficiency in dwarf green coconut palms, and other in the field, in which the plants received doses of boric acid, B(OH)3. The objective was to verify symptoms of boron deficiency and boron content variation in canopy, leaves and folioles (or leaflets). Boron deficient plants led leaves and folioles to become deformed. The deficient and sufficient contents of boron varied significantly in the canopy, but did not vary in leaves. The boron content increased significantly from bottom to the apex of the folioles in both treatments. To survey the level of boron in the coconut palm, the ideal is, using samples taken from the youngest leaf, to calculate the relation between the boron content in the apex of the foliole and the content in the center or in the folioles bottom, with minimum values 2.2 or 2.7, respectively.
Highlights
In the last years, some progress was achieved in understanding boron’s (B) dynamics in soil and plants, but questions remain about its behavior in soils, its role in plant metabolism and, mainly, about the content in leaves which are indicators of deficiency.In fruit trees boron deficiency mischaracterizes the fruit at the chemical, nutritional and morphological levels, How to cite this paper: da Rocha Pinho, L.G., Monnerat, P.H., Pires, A.A., Freitas, M.S.M. and Marciano, C.R. (2015) Diagnosis of Boron Deficiency in Green Dwarf Coconut Palm
Coconut palm grown in sandy soil with 710 g∙kg−1 of sand and 31 g∙kg−1 of organic matter in the layer of 0 - 0.4 m, plants absorbed B, with no evidence of lixiviation after supplying the soil with 60 g of boric acid per plant [3]
The objectives of this study were to: 1) induce B deficiency in green dwarf coconut palms, and verify the symptoms; 2) describe the distribution of B in leaves of plants with induced B deficiency; 3) describe the distribution of B in parts of the foliole of coconut palms grown under field conditions, fertilized and non-fertilized with B; and 4) obtain a criterion for the identification of B deficiency
Summary
Some progress was achieved in understanding boron’s (B) dynamics in soil and plants, but questions remain about its behavior in soils, its role in plant metabolism and, mainly, about the content in leaves which are indicators of deficiency.In fruit trees boron deficiency mischaracterizes the fruit at the chemical, nutritional and morphological levels, How to cite this paper: da Rocha Pinho, L.G., Monnerat, P.H., Pires, A.A., Freitas, M.S.M. and Marciano, C.R. (2015) Diagnosis of Boron Deficiency in Green Dwarf Coconut Palm. Some progress was achieved in understanding boron’s (B) dynamics in soil and plants, but questions remain about its behavior in soils, its role in plant metabolism and, mainly, about the content in leaves which are indicators of deficiency. (2015) Diagnosis of Boron Deficiency in Green Dwarf Coconut Palm. There are several cultivated species with B deficiency, which, in turn, often occurs in sandy soil due to lixiviation. Coconut palm grown in sandy soil with 710 g∙kg−1 of sand and 31 g∙kg−1 of organic matter in the layer of 0 - 0.4 m, plants absorbed B, with no evidence of lixiviation after supplying the soil with 60 g of boric acid per plant [3]. The diagnosis of boron deficiency in coconut palms (Cocos nucifera L.) has been hampered by lack of information about the distribution of B on the plant leaves
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