Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #177364
Title: SOIL BORON EXTRACTIONS AS INDICATORS OF BORON TOXICITY

Author
item Goldberg, Sabine
item Shouse, Peter
item LESCH, S - UC RIVERSIDE, CA
item Grieve, Catherine
item Poss, James
item Suarez, Donald

Submitted to: Proceedings of the International Salinity Forum
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/11/2005
Publication Date: 4/25/2005
Citation: Goldberg, S.R., Shouse, P.J., Lesch, S.M., Grieve, C.M., Poss, J.A., Suarez, D.L. 2005. Soil boron extractions as indicators of boron toxicity. In: Proceedings of the International Salinity Forum, Managing Saline Soils and Water: Science, Technology, and Soil Issues. April 25-27, 2005. Riverside, CA pp:55-58.

Interpretive Summary: Extractable soil boron was evaluated using a diverse set of extractants including: hot-water-soluble, 1:1 soil:distilled water, 1:2 soil:distilled water, ammonium acetate, calcium chloride-mannitol, and DTPA-sorbitol extracts. Plant B content of melons grown in containers in soils of potential B toxicity was determined. There were statistically significant relations between extractable soil B and plant B content indicating the utility of the B soil tests to predict B damage of container grown melons. The extracts provided on ly poor predictability of B content of field grown melons, cotton, and alfalfa despite statistically significant relationships.

Technical Abstract: Management options for reducing drainage water volumes on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley of California, such as reuse of saline drainage water and water table control, have the potential to adversely impact crop yields due to a build up in soil solution boron concentration. An experiment had shown that extrapolation of B soil tests to field conditions provided poor predictability of B content of melons despite statistically significant relationships. Consequently, three tests for extractable soil B were evaluated for their ability to predict conditions of potential B toxicity in melons grown under controlled conditions. Melons were grown for 95 days in two consecutive years in containers of Lillis soil that had been pretreated with solutions containing B concentrations. Extractable soil B was determined using ammonium acetate, DTPA-sorbitol, and a 1:1 aqueous soil extract at the beginning and end of the experiment. Plant analysis revealed a highly significant relationship between soil extract B obtained with all three extractants and leaf, stem, and fruit B content. Correlation coefficients for all soil tests were almost equivalent, although the highest values were obtained for the DTPA-sorbitol extract indicating the greatest predictive capability. The soil tests were well able to predict B damage to melons in a container experiment.