Abstract
Three wheat genotypes known to differ in response to high concentrations of boron in the field were grown under controlled glasshouse conditions in soil containing 0, 20 and 60mgkg-1 applied boron. Plant growth was assessed both destructively and non-destructively at regular intervals to identify the responses to high concentrations of boron that best discriminated between the tolerant and the sensitive genotypes, and to determine the optimal growth stage at which to rate the genotypes.
The concentrations of boron in whole shoots, in pots, at the first node and boot stages and in straw at maturity reflected the responses of the three genotypes in the field. Halberd had the lowest tissue boron concentrations, while (W1*MMC)/W1/10 had the highest, but the relative difference in boron concentrations was greater at the early harvests than in the straw at maturity. In contrast to field results, the concentration of boron in grain was not an indicator of the concentration in shoots for the pot experiment.
The ranking of the three genotypes for total dry matter production in pots was the same as ranking for tolerance in the field and was consistent for plants at all growth stages. Likewise, the height of plants four weeks after sowing was an indicator of vigour at the high boron treatment.
The rate of development was reduced at the high boron treatment and development of the sensitive genotype was delayed more than the tolerant genotypes. Tillering was more sensitive to high concentrations of boron than development of the main shoot. The severity of symptoms of boron toxicity increased with increasing boron supply and for successively older leaves and the ranking of genotypes was consistent with that in the field.
It is possible to screen for boron tolerance in the field using both destructive and non-destructive tests on plants grown in pots in the glasshouse, but these tests need to be conducted prior to anthesis as there is better discrimination between genotypes at that time.
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© 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers
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Paull, J.G., Rathjen, A.J., Cartwright, B., Nable, R.O. (1990). Selection parameters for assessing the tolerance of wheat to high concentrations of boron. In: El Bassam, N., Dambroth, M., Loughman, B.C. (eds) Genetic Aspects of Plant Mineral Nutrition. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 42. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2053-8_54
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2053-8_54
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