26 Jun Deficiency of boron and molybdenum in soils and crops of India and their amelioration through fertilizer application
भारत की मृदा व फसलों में बोरोन तथा मोलिब्डेनम की कमी और उर्वरकों के प्रयोग सेे उनमे सुुुुधार Plants require eight micronutrients for their growth and development. Out of them, Boron (B) and Molybdenum (Mo) are anionic micronutrients found to be deficient in Indian soils and crops. The essentiality of the B and Mo for higher plants was first established by K. Warington in 1923 and by D. I. Arnon and P. R. Stout in 1939 respectively. The information regarding deficiency of B and Mo in soils in India, their role in plant growth and deficiency symptoms and fertilizers containing B and Mo for amelioration is being provided for the benefit of the stakeholders. Role of Boron and Molybdenum in plant growth and their deficiency symptoms Normal boron sufficient plants are having B content ranging from 10 to 200 mg/kg. Boron is neither a constituent of enzymes nor it activates any of the enzymes. Most important property of B is to form stable complexes with organic compounds. It is responsible for the cell wall formation and stabilization, lignification and xylem differentiation. It imparts drought tolerance to the crops. It plays a role in pollen germination and pollen tube growth. It facilitates ion uptake by way of increasing the activities of plasma membrane bound H+-ATPase....