Soil B analyses before the cultivation of cereals are, therefore, required to prevent yield losses. In addition, cultivars showing tolerance to B deficiency can be used in breeding programs aiming at the development of B-efficient cultivars. | Turk J Agric For 29 (2005) 275-286 © TÜB‹TAK Responses of Irrigated Durum and Bread Wheat Cultivars to Boron Application in a Low Boron Calcareous Soil Süleyman SOYLU1, Bayram SADE1, Ali TOPAL1, Necdet AKGÜN1, Sait GEZG‹N2, Erdo¤an Eflref HAKKI1, Mehmet BABAO⁄LU1 * 1 Department of Field Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Selçuk, 42031, Kampüs, Konya - TURKEY 2 Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Selçuk, 42031, Kampüs, Konya - TURKEY Received: Abstract: Cereals are sensitive to micronutrient problems. Central Anatolian soils show great variation with respect to both deficiency and toxicity of boron (B). Hence, screening of major wheat cultivars grown in the region with respect to their sensitivity to B is of great importance for the area. Six durum (Triticum durum L. cvs. Kızıltan-91, Ç-1252, Selçuklu-97, Kunduru-1149, Yılmaz-98 and Çakmak-79) and 6 bread (Triticum aestivum L. cvs., Gün-91, Kınacı-97, Göksu-99, Türkmen, Bezostaja-1 and Sultan-95) wheat cultivars were studied in field experiments for their responses to B application when grown in soils low in -1 extractable B ( mg B kg ) during the 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 growing seasons. Agronomic characteristics such as grain yield, sterility, number of grains per spike, number of spikes per m2, thousand kernel weight and flag leaf B concentration were investigated as affected by the application of 3 kg B ha-1 as a spray of boric acid (H3BO3) to soil. Agronomic characteristics of bread and durum wheat cultivars varied remarkably with the application of B, its deficiency in the soil, and seasonal conditions. B application increased the grain yield by on average in durum wheat and by in bread wheat. Kızıltan-91 and Yılmaz-98 among durum wheat cultivars, and Gün-91 and Bezostaja-1 among bread wheat cultivars were the most sensitive to B deficiency having the highest grain yields when treated with B. On the other hand, Ç-1252 .
