Relation between multi-nutrient soil tests and boron in barley

Abstract

The aim of study was to verify a possibility of adding boron to multi-nutrient soil tests: Mehlich 3, water (1:5) and 0.5M NH4-acetate extraction. Thirty-six different soils from topsoils of agriculturally farmed field were used for the study. The basic set of 36 soils was doubled when the same soil samples with gypsum addition at an equivalent dose 2 t Ca/ha were used. The closest correspondence between B in soil (n = 72) and B in plant was found out by the NH4-acetate soil test. This test proved its good universality and independence on a radical intervention in soil chemistry by gypsum treatment. It responded to an increase in B-availability to plants after gypsum treatment of soil. The adjustment of NH4-acetate boron by the percentage difference between the actual and the desired pH of soil improved the closeness of the correlation. Although the H2O soil test showed its lower universality, it is assumed to use the H2O soil test for prediction of B-status in soil when the history of previous fertilisation of the field will be known. The Mehlich 3 soil test did not prove to be suitable for diagnostics of B-status in soil.

Keywords

• soil tests
• mehlich 3
• water extraction
• ammonium acetate extraction
• boron
• barley