Are there boron deficiencies in almond orchards in Israel?

摘要

Boron (B) deficiency has been found to limit fruit set in almond (Prunus dulcis) and therefore to be responsible for low productivity. We investigated the effect of foliar application of B on fruit set and on tissue B concentration for two almond cultivars in Israel, Um El Fahem and Ne Plus Ultra, suspected of being B deficient. We observed increased leaf B concentration in autumn and increased flower B in spring, following autumn foliar application of B. Of the different formulations of B tested, "Olive Nutrivant" resulted in the highest increase in tissue B, despite the fact that it had a relatively low B concentration compared to "Borax" and boric acid ("B7000"). We presume that the adjuvant or macro elements in the compound increased its B absorbing efficiency. No effect on B concentration was found in leaves in the spring or autumn in the year following the application. The increase in boron concentration in flowers was not accompanied by subsequent increase in fruit set.