Boron availability in relation to some important soil chemical properties in acid soils of Cooch Behar district, West Bengal

Abstract

In the present study, we investigated the distribution of soil available boron and its relationship with some soil properties in the samples collected from different locations in acidic alluvial soils of Cooch Behar district in West Bengal during 2013-2014. For the study about two hundred fifty (250) georeferenced surface soil samples covering 11 blocks of the districts were collected with the help of a global positioning system (GPS). The soil results revealed that pH of the analyzed samples varied from 4.91-7.28 (mean value 5.68) which indicated that soils of the district were in the acidic to slightly acidic in reaction. Organic carbon content of the soils varied from 0.42 to 1.62 % with a mean value of 0.96 % and about 93.7 % of the samples were high whereas about 5.2 and 1.2 % of the samples analyzed were in medium and low category, respectively. Results also indicated that the available B content in the soils of the districts ranged from 0.04 to 3.87 mg kg-1 with a mean value of 0.51 mg kg-1 and about 38.26 % soil samples were classified under low, whereas, 3.58 and 0.35 % samples were categorized as medium and high in available B content. It was further indicated that the content of available B in soil was positively correlated with organic carbon (r = 0.170**) and negatively correlated with pH (r = -0.021). Organic carbon status was also found to be positively and non significantly correlated with soil pH (r = 0.062). The results of the study would be immensely helpful for the extension workers to recommended B application considering pH and organic carbon status in acidic soils of the district for a profitable crop production.

Chemistry of Boron in Soil and Management in Different Crops

“…They discovered a strong link between accessible B content, EC, pH, and organic carbon concentration [41]. In the pH range of 3 to 9, boron adsorption by soils increased, but in the pH range of 10 to 11.5, it declined [42,43] observed that B adsorption was influenced by soil qualities such as organic matter, clay, and aluminium oxide content, and that it was reliant on and increased as a function of pH. The impact of organic matter on the availability of B in soils is magnified as the pH and clay content of the soil rise.…”

“…This increase could be due to the decomposition of organic matter which produces acids such as tartaric, oxalic, citric, acetic, formic, and humic acid, which solubilized the unavailable fixed B in clay or CaCO 3 . Furthermore, some B gets complexed or chealeted with organic mattercontent and this B is released into the soil solution as the organic matter decomposes [42].Because minimal B adsorption on the mineral fraction occurs at low pH values, organic matter is one of the most important sources of B in acid soils [23].…”

Effect of Three Boron Concentrations in Soil on Growth and Physiology in Sweet Cherry Trees

“…Its bioavailability decreases at a higher solution pH [ 8 ], which occurs mainly at pH values higher than 6, where B forms insoluble compounds with oxides of iron and aluminum [ 9 ]. High organic carbon content increases the availability of B for plants [ 10 ]. Owing to changes in rainfall patterns [ 11 ], there has been a decrease and increase in the availability of B in the soil, depending on the prevailing conditions [ 12 ].…”

The effect of multi-component fertilizer and lime application on yield of common bean in Western Kenya

“…Low soil fertility in sub-Sahara Africa is a major constraint limiting agricultural production, mainly caused by low inherent soil fertility, low use of fertilizers, soil acidity and continuous cropping without adequate nutrient replenishment (Henao and Baanante, 2006). Crop growth and productivity depend on nutrient availability which is primarily influenced by soil pH and organic matter concentration (Chianu et al, 2012;Kundu et al, 2017).…”