Effect of Imbalance of Boron Nutrition on the Peanut 1

The ‘Florigiant’ variety of peanut ( Arachis hypogaea L.) was grown 2 years in pot cultures on Lakeland fine sand, a soil deficient in boron, to determine the effects of imbalanced boron nutrition on peanuts. Variations in fertilization were: no treatment, complete fertilizer and lime treatment including the micronutrients, and the same as the latter except without boron. The containers were low‐boron and each held 60 pounds of soil. Reagent grade chemicals and distilled water, which was then passed through an ion exchange demineralizer, were used throughout the experiments. Flower counts, yields of shoots, roots and fruit and quality studies on the fruit were used to determine the effects of imbalanced boron nutrition. Without boron in the fertilizer, shoots were stubby, leaves frequently were mottled, dark areas appeared at the internodes of the branches, and stems sometimes cracked. Roots were also stubby and yields of fruit negligible. In contrast, plants with boron in the fertilizer were free of these abnormalities and produced many peanuts. With boron in the fertilizer, peak flower production came early in the flowering period, while without boron more flowers were produced but the distribution pattern was changed. With no treatment the plants were small, appeared normal, and yielded more peanuts of a better quality than plants with complete fertilization minus boron.