Effect of Boron Deficiency and Toxicity in Plants

Charu Lata, Ashwani Kumar, Parvender Sheoran, Anita Mann and Pooja*
ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal 132001, Haryana
*ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Regional Centre, Karnal 132001, Haryana
In nature, boron (B) toxicity is not as widespread as B deficiency. Boron toxicity is an
important disorder that can limit plant growth on soils of arid and semi arid environments throughout
the world. Boron is one of the eight essential micronutrients for healthy crop growth and its
deficiency is a widespread problem in relatively humid areas of the world. Though the biochemical
role of B in plant is still not well understood, the evidence generally showed that B is important in cell
division and is apparently a necessary component of the cell wall (Cohen and Lepper, 1977). Boron
also played an important role in the synthesis of proteins and the translocation of sugars. Tanada
(1978) suggested that B is required by plants to stabilize a positive electrostatic charge in the plasma
membrane that is generated by the actions of phytochrome and gravity. There is a certain minimum
requirement of B for a plant, below which a deficiency symptom will develop. As well, there is a
certain maximum level of tolerance, above which toxicity symptoms appear. Boron requires special
attention among the essential mineral nutrients because the need of B by plants is relatively small; the
range between deficiency and excess is narrow. Since it is not practical to leach out excess B because
management of B is difficult due to its high permeability, presence as an uncharged molecule at
physiological pH, high solubility and can be easily leached under high rainfall conditions, leading to
deficiencies in plants. Toxicity can occur under three main conditions:
(l) In soils inherently high in B or in which B has naturally accumulated.
(2) As a result of over fertilization with minerals high in B and
(3) Through the use of irrigation waters high in B leading to B accumulation and concentration in
soil.
Under low rainfall conditions, the opposite is often true that it is not sufficiently leached and
therefore may accumulate to a level in the leaves that become toxic to plant growth and metabolism.
There are few reports that showed underground water for irrigation contains toxic amounts of B in
arid or semiarid states of India, such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, and Gujrat.
Ground waters of Agra (Uttar Pradesh), Gurgaon and Hisar (Haryana), Bhatinda, Sangrur and
Amritsar (Punjab) have high B content (up to 7.3 ppm). Ground waters of the coastal regions may also
have high B content. Kanzaria and Patel (1985) reported that 11% of waters in north Gujarat, Kutch,
Kaira, Vadodara and Bharauch had B concentration beyond the tolerance limit of most crop plants.
Toxicity symptoms are slow to develop, or are only observed with extreme B treatments. The
physiological effects of boron toxicity include reduced root cell division, decreased shoot and root
growth, decrease in leaf chlorophyll, inhibition of photosynthesis, lower stomatal conductance,

deposition of lignin and suberin, reduced proton extrusion from roots, increased membrane leakiness,
lipid peroxidation and altered activities of antioxidation pathways.
Information on the symptoms of B deficiency and B toxicity in a number of vegetable and
field crops has been well documented (Gupta, 1979). In the plant, B translocates readily through the
xylem in the transpiration stream. Boron is not readily translocated from old to young plant parts, the
first symptom of B deficiency will be in the growing points - the stem tips, root tips, new leaves and
flower buds. Both B deficiency and excess will result in reduction of crop yield and/or in impairment
of crop quality. For most plant species, deficiencies in the field occur when the B level reaches less
than 15 g/g (dry matter basis) while B concentration of 20-100 g/g are adequate for growth. Boron
toxicity under field conditions generally occurs when plant tissue concentration exceeds 200 g/g.
The uneven distribution of B between and within plant parts presents some difficulties in defining the
critical level for B. As above mentioned, agricultural regions that contain insufficient or toxic levels of
B in soil have problems with yield and quality of many crops. Hence, understanding the mechanisms
that are involved in B uptake and distribution in plants can be critical to improve agricultural
production. Physiological studies also have shown the occurrence of an active B uptake by roots
under low B conditions (Dannel et al., 2000). This active absorption of B is supported by the fact that
B uptake was inhibited by both metabolic inhibitors and cold treatment in roots. Once B has been
absorbed by root cells this micronutrient must be loaded into xylem. In well B supplied plants this
process is mediated by a passive mechanism that involves both B diffusion across lipid bilayer and
facilitated permeation of boric acid via MIPs channel (MIPs). After being loaded into xylem, B is
transported through this vascular system to shoot in a process mediated by transpiration stream.
However, B can be also transported via phloem to both reproductive and vegetative tissues (Shelp et
al., 1995), although this capacity varies among species (Brown and Shelp, 1997). One mechanism that
has been suggested to mediate phloem transport of B involves the formation of boron-diol complexes
as transport molecules (Brown and Hu, 1996). In fact, B can readily bind to cis hydroxyl groups of
sugar alcohols (mannitol and sorbitol), which allow B to be transported through phloem. However, B
transport via phloem, especially to young tissues, also occurs in plants that are not able to produce
these types of carbohydrates (Stangoulis et al., 2001a). Very recently it has been demonstrated that B
is transported from mature leaves into actively growing reproductive organs via phloem in white lupin
(Huang et al., 2008). Nevertheless, the molecular mechanism involved in this B-phloem transport is
still unknown.

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