The Present Status of Boron in American Agriculture

A LTHOUGH comparatively new to the family of • f i essential elements, and classed as a minor nutrient because of the small quantity required by plants, boron is today receiving a major share of attention from the plant nutritionist and soil scientist. In the eight years that have elapsed since Brandenburg reported a boron deficiency affecting sugar beets and mangolds on certain German soils, extensive and fruitful research has been conducted in this country, and today we attribute to boron deficiency some twenty or more physiological disorders affecting cultivated plants. Where such deficiencies occur, small applications of borax or boric acid have been effective in producing normal growth. In other instances, such applications have produced increased yields with crops where no evidence of a nutrient deficiency existed. Borax has already become a standard fertilizer ingredient for certain crops in many areas and the number of these areas are rapidly increasing as research in this field progresses. Once a soil deficiency is established, questions immediately arise concerning the extent of the deficient areas, the plants affected, and the measures necessary to overcome the deficiency. To obtain this information from the country at large, the author has corresponded with workers in the agricultural experiment stations of all 48 states. The replies to these enquiries have been courteous, prompt, and informative. All states have been heard from and I'wish to take this opportunity to thank those who so kindly supplied the information which makes this paper possible.