Boron toxicity in kiwifruit plants (Actinidia deliciosa), treated with nitrate,ammonium, and a mixture of both |
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Authors: | Thomas E. Sotiropoulos Ioannis N. Therios Kortessa N. Dimassi |
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Abstract: | The objective of this research was to study the effects of nitrogen (N) forms (NO3–, 2.6 mM; NH4+, 2.6 mM; NO3–, 1 mM + NH4+, 1.6 mM) on the growth and mineral composition of kiwifruit plants exposed to three boron (B) levels (0.025, 0.1, 0.3 mM). The kiwifruit plants were grown in a 1:1 sand : perlite mixture and irrigated daily with nutrient solutions. Shoot height, mean shoot dry weight, the number of leaves, mean leaf dry weight, and N concentration of NH4‐treated plants were significantly higher compared to the NO3– treatment at all B levels. The concentration of 0.3 mM B significantly reduced shoot height for all N treatments. Boron toxicity symptoms appeared 14 days after starting the experiment, when plants were treated with 0.1 and/or 0.3 mM B. The nitrate supply reduced the B concentration of roots, but B levels of different leaf parts were hardly affected by the N form. Furthermore, the NH4‐N form significantly reduced the Mg concentration of the leaves. |
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Keywords: | boron toxicity boron absorption kiwifruit nitrogen |
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