Response of ten winter wheat cultivars to boron foliar application

Abstract

Three strict field trials were conducted in 2003, 2004 and 2006, involving foliar application of boron to ten cultivars of winter wheat commonly grown in Poland. Boron was applied as 175 g . ha -1 of boracic acid. Foliar fertilization treatments caused a significant grain yield increase of four (Zyta, Kobra, Mewa and Pegassos) out of ten winter wheat cultivars. The average yield increment ranged between 9 and 15%. The cultivars which responded positively to the fertilization were the ones which produced the lowest yields on the control plots without boron. The nutritional demands of the cultivars Korweta, Kris, Soraja, Jawa, Symfonia and Sakwa for boron were much lower than those of the other cultivars. Although the foliar fertilisation with boron increased the concentration of this element in the shoots of these 6 cultivars, they did not respond with higher yield to the application of this element.