Abstract
Three experiments were carried out on an alluvial sandy loam (Udifluvent) at Tonglu, Zhejiang Province, P.R. China from 1992 to 1995, to determine the genotypic range in boron (B) efficiency of 16 oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) cultivars, to identify the B-efficient cultivars and to identify specific responses which can be utilised for selection in a breeding program. The 16 cultivars which included high-quality and conventional types differed significantly in survival, plant height, leaf area, shoot dry weight and seed yield; however, the ranking of the cultivars for their seed yield or other plant traits differed with B treatment. With severe B deficiency (CaCl2 extractable B < 0.26 mg/kg) and no boron applied, none of the cultivars exhibited significant B efficiency, with seed yield <300 kg/ha. With moderate B deficiency (CaCl2 extractable B 0.34 mg/kg or 0.17 kg B/ha applied), seed yield varied significantly among the cultivars from 397 to 1889 kg/ha in year 1 and from 616 to 1260 kg/ha in year 3. Zhongyou 821 and 92-13 were the most B-efficient and Wanyou 324, Huashuang 2 and Su 2051 were the most B-inefficient cultivars under moderate B deficiency. Significant differences were found among the cultivars in leaf B concentration; however, there was no close relationship between leaf B concentration and seed yield responses to B of oilseed cultivars. Of all the growth parameters measured, leaf area was the early indicator best correlated with subsequent seed yield and may be useful for evaluating the response of cultivars to low B supply. Contrary to current opinion, it was also found that high-quality oilseed rape cultivars were not all sensitive to low B supply nor were all conventional cultivars B-efficient.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anantawiroon P, Subedi K D and Rerkasem B 1997 Screening wheat for boron efficiency. In Boron in Soils and Plants. Proceedings. Eds. R W Bell and B Rerkasem. pp 101-104. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, Vol. 76. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, the Netherlands.
Blamey F P C, Vermeulen W J and Chapman 1984 Inheritance of boron status in sunflower. Crop Sci. 24, 43-46.
Gaines T P and Mitchell G A 1979 Boron determination in plant tissue by the azomethine-H method. Commun. Soil Sci. Plant Anal. 10, 1099-1108.
Gerath H, Borchmann W and Zajonc I 1975 Crop yield development of winter rape rape (Brassica napus L. ssp. oleifera) as influenced by the micro-nutrient boron. Arch Acker Pflanzenbau Bodenkunde, Berlin 19, 781-792.
Huang Longbin, Ye Zhengqian and Bell R W 1996 The importance of sampling young immature leaves for diagnosis of boron deficiency in oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). Plant Soil 183, 187-198.
Hu Dingjin, Bell R W and Xie Zhenchi 1996 Zinc and phosphorus responses in transplanted oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). Soil Sci. Plant Nutr. 42, 333-344.
Institute of Oilseed Crops, the Chinese Agricultural Science Academy 1984 The major achievements in oilseed crops in China during the past thirty-five years. The Chinese J. Oilseed Crops 3, 16-20.
Kirk G J and Loneragan J F 1988 Functional boron requirement for leaf expansion and its use as a critical value for diagnosis of boron deficiency in soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.). Agron. J. 80, 758-762.
Krauze A, Bowszys T, Bobrzecka D and Rotkiewicz D 1991 Effect of foliar boron fertilization on yield and quality of winter rape. In Proc. Eighth Int. Rapeseed Congress Saskatoon, Canada. Ed. D I McGregor. pp 547-553. Organising Cttee, Saskatoon.
Liu Houli 1981 Cultivation of Food Oilseed Rape. Shanghai Science and Technology Press, Shanghai, China. pp 93-94.
Moraghan J T and Mascagni H J 1991 Environmental and soil factors affecting micronutrient deficiencies and toxicities. In Micronutrients in Agriculture. 2nd ed. Eds. J J Mortvedt, F R Cox, L M Shuman and R M Welch. pp 371-426. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Book Series No. 4. New York, USA.
Myers L F, Lipsett J and Kirchner R 1983 Response of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) to phosphorus, boron and lime on an acid soil near Canberra. Aust. J. Expt Agric. Anim. Husb. 23, 172-177.
Nuttall W F, Ukrainetz H, Stewart J W B and Spurr D T 1987 The effect of nitrogen, sulphur and boron on yield and quality of rapeseed (Brassica napus L. and B. campestris L.). Can. J. Soil Sci. 67, 545-559.
Rashid A, Rafique and Bughio N 1994 Diagnosing boron deficiency in rapeseed and mustard by plant analysis and soil testing. Comm. Soil Sci. Plant Anal. 25, 2883-2897.
Rerkasem B 1990 Comparison of green gram (Vigna radiata) and blackgram (Vigna mungo) in boron deficiency. In Proc. Mungbean Meeting '90. Chiang Mai, Thailand, Tropical Agric. Res. Center, Japan, Thailand Office, Bangkok.
Rerkasem B, Netsangtip R, Lordkaew S and Cheng C 1993 Grain set failure in boron deficient wheat. Plant Soil 155/156, 309-312.
Rerkasem B and Loneragan J F 1994 Boron deficiency in two wheat genotypes in a warm, subtropical region. Agron. J. 86, 887-890.
Saarela I 1985 Plant-available boron in soils and the boron requirement of spring oilseed rapes. Ann. Agric. Fenn. 24, 183-265.
Sakal R, Singh A P and Singh R B and Bhogal N S 1991 Relative susceptibility of some important varieties of sesamum and mustard to boron deficiency in a calcareous soil. Fert. News 36, 43-50.
Shorrocks V M 1991 Boron — a global appraisal of the occurrence, diagnosis and correction of boron deficiency. In Proc. Int. Symposium on the Role of Sulphur, Magnesium and Micronutrients in Balanced Plant Nutrition. Ed. S Portch. pp 39-53. Potash and Phosphate Inst., Hong Kong.
Shorrocks V M 1997 The occurrence and correction of boron deficiency. In Boron in Soils and Plants. Reviews. Eds. B Dell, P H Brown and R W Bell. pp 121-148. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, Vol 77. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, the Netherlands.
Spouncer L R, Nable R O and Cartwright B 1992 A procedure for the determination of soluble boron in soils ranging wildly in boron concentrations, sodicity and PH. Commun. Soil Sci. Plant Anal. 23, 441-453.
Subedi K D, Budhathoki C B, Subedi M and Yubak D GC 1997 Response of wheat genotypes to sowing date and boron fertilisation aimed at controlling sterility in a rice-wheat rotation in Nepal. Plant Soil 188, 249-256.
Xu Guanbi 1988 Preliminary study of causes for the floral abortion in cultivar Ningyou 8 (Brassica napus L.) at Susui county, Jiangsu Province. J. Nanjing Agric. Univ. 11(2), 136-137.
Yang Yuai and Xu Hekun 1989 Effect of N, P, K levels on the uptake of boron by plants, and on the quality and yield of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). J. Chinaís Agric. Sci. 13, 80-83.
Yang Yuai, Xue Jianming, Ye Zhengqian and Wang Ke 1993 Responses of rape genotypes to boron application. Plant Soil 155/156, 321-324.
Zarcinas B A 1995 Suppression of iron interference in the determination of boron using the azomethine-H procedure. Commun. Soil Sci. Plant Anal. 26, 713-729.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Xue, J., Lin, M., Bell, R.W. et al. Differential response of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) cultivars to low boron supply. Plant and Soil 204, 155–163 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004326217479
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004326217479