Boron is one of the 16 essential elements for plant growth and development. Total soil boron can be found in concentrations ranging from 20-200 mg/kg dry weight, and most of it is unavailable to plants because it is insoluble. Boric acid makes up most of the soluble boron in soil. It is the most soluble source of available boron and can easily be leached from the soil away from roots and potentially into the water table. Boron differs from other plant nutrients because at a pH range of 4-8 boron is undissociated, meaning no individual boron ions are found in the solution.
Soil pH significantly impacts the availability of boron to a plant. The higher the soil pH the more tightly bound boron in the soil, thus becoming increasingly unavailable to plants. Therefore, lime applications actually decrease boron availability. Boron is also tightly held by organic matter within the soil, so as organic matter increases boron availability decreases.
Metalosate® Boron provides a superior boron application to plants. This is at least partially because Metalosate Boron is applied via a foliar application and therefore is not dependent on the uptake through the soil. For more information about Metalosate Boron, contact your local Balchem Plant Nutrition Representative.
