Abstract
Boron is one of the most limiting micronutrients to the good development and production of tomato, and the damage intensity varies with the cultivars, their phenological stages and the environmental conditions. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of boron concentrations in nutrient solution on agronomic performance and possible morpho-anatomical changes in leaves, stems, roots and fruit production of the cherry tomato cultivated in a hydroponic system. The experiment consisted of four concentrations of boron (1.0; 10.0; 25.0; and 50.0 μmol L−1) and plants evaluation at different phenological stages: 43, 53, 66 and 84 days after sowing. The concentration of 1 μmol L−1 boron in nutrient solution caused the greatest limitation to the growth and development of the tomato, from the vegetative stage, with aggravation of damage in the subsequent stages. The anatomical alterations in the leaf, stem and root tissues became more conspicuous with the advancement of the phenological stages, preventing fruit production. The estimated dose of 35 μmol L−1 boron results in the best growth and production of the tomato ‘Iracema.’
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bolaños L, Lukaszewski K, Bonilla I, Brevins D (2004) Why boron? Plant PhysiolBiochem 42:907–912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2004.11.002
Choi EY, Park HI, Ju JH, Yoon YH (2015) Boron availability alters its distribution in plant parts of tomato. HorticEnvironBiote 56:145–151. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13580-015-0044-y
Fernandes AA, Martinez HEP, Fontes PCR (2002) Produtividade, qualidade dos frutos e estado nutricional do tomateiro tipo longa vida conduzido com um cacho, em cultivo hidropônico, em função das fontes de nutrientes. HorticBras 20:564–570. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-05362002000400011
Fontes PCR (2011) Nutrição mineral de plantas: avaliação e diagnose. ArkaEditora
Gondim ARO, Prado RM, Cecílio Filho AB, Alves AU, Correia MAR (2014) Boron foliar aplication in nutrition and yield of beet and tomato. J Plant Nutr 38:1573–1579. https://doi.org/10.1080/01904167.2015.1043373
Hajiboland R, Farhanghi F, Aliasgharpour M (2012) Morphological and anatomical modifications in leaf, stem and roots of four plant species under boron deficiency conditions. AnBiol 34:15–29. https://doi.org/10.6018/analesbio.0.34.4
Hänsch R, Mendel RR (2009) Physiological functions of mineral micronutrients (Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, Ni, Mo, B, Cl). Curr Opin Plant Biol 12(3):259–266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2009.05.006
Huang JH, Cai ZJ, Wen SX, Guo P, Ye X, Lin GZ, Chen LS (2014) Effects of boron toxicity on root and leaf anatomy in two citrus species differing in boron tolerance. Trees-Struct Funct 28:1653–1666. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-014-1075-1
Johansen DA (1940) Plant Microtechnique. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York
Kinet JM, Peet MM (2006) Tomato. In: Wien HC (ed) The physiology of vegetable crops. CAB International, Wallingford, pp 207–258
Liu G, Dong X, Liu L, Wu L, Peng S, Jiang C (2014) Boron deficiency is correlated with changes in cell wall structure that lead to growth defects in the leaves of navel orange plants. SciHortic 176:54–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2014.06.036
Marschner P (2012) Marschner’s Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants. Academic Press, London
Mengel K, Kirkby E (2001) Principles of plant nutrition. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht/Boston/London
Milagres CC, Maia JTLS, Ventrella MC, Martinez HEP (2019) Anatomical changes in cherry tomato plants caused by boron deficiency. BrazJBot 42:319–328. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-019-00537-y
Smit JN, Combrink NJJ (2004) The effect of boron levels in nutrient solutions on fruit production and quality of greenhouse tomatoes. S Afr J Plant Soil 21:187–191. https://doi.org/10.1080/02571862.2004.10635046
Taiz L,Zeiger E,Moller IM, Murphy A (2017) Fisiologia e desenvolvimento vegetal. 6ª edição, Porto Alegre: Artmed
White PJ, Broadley MR (2003) Calcium in plants. Ann Bot 92:487–511. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcg164
Wimmer MA, Eichert T (2013) Review: mechanisms for boron deficiency-mediated changes in plant water relations. Plant Sci 203–204:25–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2012.12.012
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Conselho Nacional de DesenvolvimentoCientífico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES—Finance Code 001) for financial support.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
WPS performed the experiment, collected the data, performed the chemical, anatomical and statistical analysis and wrote the manuscript; HEPM advised the research and assisted the hydroponic procedures, the chemical analysis, the discussion of results and writing of the manuscript; CCM searched the literature, performed the statistical analysis and wrote the manuscript; IPCL and JMC participated in the conduction of the experiment; PRC advised the statistical analysis; and MCV advised the anatomical studies. All authors reviewed the manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sturião, W.P., Martinez, H.E.P., Milagres, C.C. et al. Boron lack affects the anatomy of leaf, stem and root of cherry tomato. Braz. J. Bot 43, 247–255 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-020-00605-8
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-020-00605-8