BORON DEFICIENCY IN SUNFLOWER AND GREEN GRAM AT CHIANG MAI
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Abstract
Sunflower hybrids grown on San Sai soil under irrigation in the cool season in Chiang Mai without boron exhibited the following symptoms : yellowing and bronzing of newly full grown leaves, chlorosis and necrotic spots which may enlarge to cover the major part of or entire leaves, vertical lesions on stem ribs, horizontal splits on upper stems which may be accompanied by wilting of the leaf directly above it as a result of the vascular bundles being severed, the split may be so marked that plants were completely decapitated, usually just below the flower head (head clipping), failure of seed set in the middle portion of the head or complete yield loss. Without added boron seed yield of Hysun 31 ranged from nil to 119 kg/rai. When detected early enough an application of boron was effective in removing the symptoms and greatly increasing grain yield. Foliar spraying with a solution of 0.05 - 0.10 per cent borax or boric acid was effective, but must be repeated every five to seven days to prevent the symptoms from recurring. A soil application of 1.1 kg/rai of borax when bronzing appeared at 25 days from sowing was effective in removing all the symptoms and increasing seed yield to. 478 kg/rai, but with some leaf symptoms reappearing at the end of the season. The highest seed yield of 686 kg/rai and complete cure of the symptoms was achieved with an application of 1.6 kg/rai of borax. Residual effects of the applied boron was also observed in a green gram crop that followed the sunflower. Where boron had not been applied green gram exhibited the following symptoms : chlorosis of leaf margins which often ended in necrosis, stunted plants with brittle petioles and leaves, reduced flowering and pod set. Where 1.6 kg/rai of borax was applied to the preceeding sunflower no leaf symptom was observed on the green gram; dry matter yield and pod set were significantly increased by the residual boron. Twenty sunflower hybrids planted without added boron all showed severe symptoms of boron deficiency similar to those described for Hysun 31, no seed yield was harvested.
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References
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