Year: 1976
Type: article
Abstract: The effects on turnips of three finely ground calcium borate minerals of differing solubility in water and 2% citric acid were compared with water‐soluble sodium borate in a pot trial using Egmont brown loam. When the borates, mixed with serpentine superphosphate, were applied directly on to turnip seed, germination was not affected, although seedling vigour was reduced by sodium borate and ulexite at all rates and colemanite at the highest rate; germination was unaffected by datolite. Although boron concentrations in the seedlings reached toxicity levels (200 ppm) with the borates soluble in water as well as citric acid, harvest weights of the first crop were not affected by boron applied at 3. 48 kg/ha (up to 6. 96 kg/ha for datolite), and final plant levels did not exceed 132 ppm. The availability of the boron in these minerals to turnips was correlated better with their solubility in 2% citric acid than in water.
Authors: F. B. Muller, G. McSweeney
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2028417290