Genotypic Variation in Boron Uptake and Utilization by Rice and Wheat

Abstract

Rice and wheat, despite being categorised as less sensitive to boron (B) deficiency (Rerkasem and Jamod, 1997), suffer this nutritional disorder in Pakistan (Chaudhry et al., 1977; Rashid et al., 2001) and elsewhere (Shorrocks, 1997). Although B fertilisation is a simple and cost-effective solution to the problem, practical constraints are prohibitive in its adoption by farmers cultivating low B soils (Anonymous, 1998). Therefore, B fertiliser use in cereals is in its infancy, especially in developing countries of the world. Consequently, these staple food crops — for the majority of the world population — keep suffering yield losses where grown on low B soils. One alternative to B fertiliser use is genetic manipulation of crops for enhancing B acquisition and efficiency (Rerkasem and Jamod, 1997). Therefore, we studied some major rice and wheat cultivars of Pakistan for their comparative B efficiency.