ABSTRACT

Current Boron (B) recommendations are based largely on research conducted nearly 30 years ago and little is known of the physiological effect that B has on the cotton plant. For this reason a growth chamber study and a series of field studies were conducted to determine the agronomic and physiological implications of B fertilization. Data collected from the growth chamber provided evidence that cotton plants with adequate B nutrient levels showed an increased rate of net leaf photosyn-thesis, increased nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations in floral buds and increased dry matter concentrations of plant component parts. However, there has been no clear trend for increased yield or components of yield from added B in three years of field research.