Functions of boron in plants
• Essential for maintaining a balance between sugar and starch and helps in the translocation of sugar and carbohydrates
• Important in pollination and seed production
• Necessary for normal cell division, nitrogen metabolism and protein formation Boron is an essential element for plants’ development, growth, crop yielding and seed development. It helps with the transfer of water and nutrition in plants. Though plants’ boron requirements are very low in quantity, their growth and crop yields are severely affected when soil is boron deficient.
The amount of boron fertilizer to be applied onto soil varies according to plant type, method of application, amount of rain, and the soil’s lime and organic material contents.
Boron products can also be applied by spraying onto plant leaves. This benefits some plants whose intake is better through their leaves or in other cases where spraying is a better way of fertilizing.
Boron uptake by plants is controlled by the boron level in soil solution rather than the total boron content in soil. Boron uptake is a passive (non-metabolic) process. It moves with water in plant's tissues and accumulates in the leaves; therefore, Boron uptake and accumulation are directly dependent on the rate of transpiration.
