Abstract
Plant analysis can diagnose boron (B) deficiency when the standards used have been properly developed by establishing that a close relationship exists between B concentration in a plant part and its physiological function. The purpose of the present study was to demonstrate the importance of choosing the growing immature leaves for B deficiency diagnosis and for establishing critical B concentrations for the diagnosis of B deficiency in oilseed rape (Brassica napus). In Experiment 1, the plants were subject to seven levels of B supply using programmed nutrient addition, for the estimation of critical B concentrations in plant parts for shoot growth. In Experiment 2, the plants were treated with two levels of B supply in solution: 10 (+B) and 0 (-B) μM B, for the estimation of functional B requirements for leaf elongation. The results showed that critical B concentrations varied amongst the plant parts sampled and decreased with leaf age. As B taken up by roots is largely phloem-immobile, B concentrations in mature leaves are physiologically irrelevant to plant B status at the time of sampling, giving rise to a significant over- or underestimation of the B requirement for plant growth. By contrast, a growing, immature leaf, in this case the youngest open leaf (YOL), was the most reliable plant part for B deficiency diagnosis. Critical B concentrations developed from both methods were comparable-i.e. 10–14 mg B kg−1 dry matter in the YOL at vegetative growth stages up to stem elongation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Asher C J and Blamey F P C 1987 Experimental control of plant nutrient status using programmed nutrient addition. J. Plant Nutr. 10, 1371–80.
Asher C J and Edwards D G 1983 Modern solution culture techniques. In Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology, New Series, Vol. 15A. Inorganic Plant Nutrition. Eds. A Lauchli and R L Bieleski. pp 94–119. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany.
Bell R W, McLay L, Plaskett D, Dell B and Loneragan J F 1990 Internal boron requirements of green gram (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilzcek). In Plant Nutrition-Physiology and Applications Ed. M I van Beusichem. pp 275–280. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
Gupta U C 1993 Boron and its Role in Crop Production. CRC Press, Tokyo, Japan.
Hu H and Brown P H 1994 Localization of boron in cell walls of squash and tobacco and its association with pectin-evidence for a structural role of boron in the cell wall. Plant Physiol. 105, 681–689.
Jongruaysup S, Bell R W and Dell B 1994 Diagnosis of molybdenum deficiency in black gram (Vigna mungo L. Hepper) by plant analysis. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 45, 195–201.
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.
Loneragan J F, Delhaize E and Webb J 1982 Enzymic diagnosis of copper deficiency in subterranean clover. I. Relationship of ascorbate oxidase activity in leaves to copper status. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 33, 967–979.
Marschner H 1986 Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants. Academic Press, London, UK. 621 p.
Nable R O, Bar-Akiva A and Loneragan J F 1984 Functional manganese requirement and its use as a critical value for diagnosis of manganese deficiency in subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L. cv. Seaton Park). Ann. Bot. (London) 54, 39–49.
Netsangtip R, Bell R W, Dell B and Loneragan J F 1993 An effect of light on the B requirement for leaf blade elongation in black gram (Vigna mungo). Plant and Soil 155/156, 413–416.
Oertli J J 1993 The mobility of boron in plants. In Plant Nutrition - from Genetic Engineering to Field Practice. XII International Plant Nutrition Colloquium. Ed. N J Barrow. pp 393–396. Kluwer Academic Publ., Dordrecht, the Netherlands.
Rashid A, Rafique E and Bughio N 1994 Diagnostic boron deficiency in rapeseed and mustard by plant analysis and soil testing. Commun. Soil Sci. Plant Anal. 25, 2883–2897.
Rerkasem B, Netsangtip R, Bell R W, Loneragan J F and Hiranburana N 1988 Comparative species responses to boron on a Typic Tropaqualf in northern. Thailand. Plant and Soil 106, 15–21.
Rerkasem B, Bell R W, Lodkaew S and Loneragan J F 1993 Boron deficiency in soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.), peanut (Arachis hypogaea), and black gram (Vigna mungo L. Hepper): symptoms in seeds and differences among soybean cultivars in susceptibility to boron deficiency. Plant and Soil 150, 289–294.
Reuter D J and Robinson J B 1986 Plant Analysis. — An Interpretation Manual. Inkata Press, Melbourne, Australia. 218 p.
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.
Smith F W 1986 Interpretation of plant analysis: Concepts and principles. In Plant Analysis. An Interpretation Manual. Eds. D J Reuter and J B Robinson. pp 1–12. Inkata Press, Melbourne, Australia.
Smith F W and Dolby G R 1977 Derivation of indices for assessing the sulphur status of Panicum maximum var. Trichoglume. Commun. Soil Sci. Plant Anal. 8, 221–240.
SPSS Inc. 1988 SPSS-X User's Guide (3rd). SPSS Inc., Chicago, USA.
Sylvester-Bradley R and Makepeace R J 1984 A code for stages of development in oilseed rape. Aspects Appl. Biol. 6, 399–419.
Ulrich A and Hills F J 1967 Principles and practises of plant analysis. In Soil Tests and Plant Analysis Part II. Soil Sci. Soc. Am., Special Publ. No.2, pp 11–24. SSSA, Madison, WI, USA.
Ware G O, Ohki K and Moon L L 1982 The Mitscherlich plant growth model for determining critical nutrient deficiency levels. Agron. J. 74, 84–91.
Yang Y, Xue J, Ye Z and Wang K 1993 Responses of rape genotypes to boron application. In Plant Nutrition-from Genetic Engineering to Field Practice. XII International Plant Nutrition Colloquium. Ed. N J Barrow. pp 421–424. Kluwer Academic Publ., Dordrecht, the Netherlands.
Zarcinas B A, Cartwright B and Spouncer L R 1987 Nitric acid digestion and multi-element analysis of plant material by inductively coupled plasma spectrometry. Commun. Soil Sci. Plant Anal. 18, 131–146.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Huang, L., Ye, Z. & Bell, R.W. The importance of sampling immature leaves for the diagnosis of boron deficiency in oilseed rape (Brassica napus cv. Eureka). Plant Soil 183, 187–198 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00011434
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00011434