Water supply influences boron concentrations in transplanted oilseed rape (Brassica napus cv. Eureka) grown on low boron soil

Huang, L., Wang, K. and Bell, R.W.ORCID: 0000-0002-7756-3755 (1997) Water supply influences boron concentrations in transplanted oilseed rape (Brassica napus cv. Eureka) grown on low boron soil. In: Bell, R.W. and Rerkasem, B., (eds.) Boron in soils and plants : proceedings of the International Symposium on Boron in Soils and Plants held at Chiang Mai, Thailand, 7-11 September 1997. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, pp. 157-160.

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that low soil water supply depresses boron (B) uptake and may induce B deficiency in crops at low soil B. The present study was conducted to assess the possibility that increases in root/shoot ratio induced by water stress might offset the negative effect of water stress on B absorption in low B soil. Oilseed rape (Brassica napus cv. Eureka) plants were subject to a factorial combination of two levels of B: +B (0.45 mg B kg- 1 air dry soil) and -B (without added B); and three levels of water supply: adequate (Wet), subsoil dry (Wet-Dry) and surface soil dry (Dry). In -B soil, the water stress treatments significantly increased root dry weights, but decreased shoot dry weights, resulting in a decrease in shoot/root ratio. By contrast, water stress had no effect on shoot/root ratios of plants in +B soil. Decreasing water supply in the soil significantly decreased B absorption per unit root mass in -B soil but not in +B soil. The increase in root/shoot ratio was unable to significantly offset the decrease in B uptake induced by dry soil conditions and water stress still strongly depressed B concentrations in young leaves.

Item Type:	Book Chapter
Murdoch Affiliation(s):	School of Biological and Environmental Sciences
Publisher:	Kluwer Academic Publishers
Copyright:	© 1997 Kluwer Academic Publishers
Publisher's Website:	http://www.springer.com/life+sciences/plant+scienc...
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/13014

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