Boron for Minnesota soils
This paper evaluates boron management for crops in Minnesota, detailing specific findings for corn and soybean production. Boron is immobile in both corn and soybean, meaning deficiency symptoms appear first on the youngest leaves. In corn, boron deficiency causes short and bent cobs, barren stalks, poor kernel development, elongated watery stripes that turn white on new leaves, and dead growing points. Boron sufficiency range for corn whole tops less than 12” tall and base of ear at initial silk all is 5-25 ppm. In soybean, deficiency symptoms involve yellowing leaves, curling leaf tips, interveinal chlorosis, tip dieback, stunted roots, and stopped flowering. Both crops are classified as having a small response potential to boron. Boron sufficiency range for corn whole tops less than 12” tall and base of ear at initial silk all is 5-25 ppm. For soybean (trifoliate leaves) at early flowering, boron sufficiency range is 20-60 ppm. Field experiments across Minnesota demonstrated that boron fertilizer applications produced no grain yield increases in corn, showing that standard soil boron tests are unreliable predictors for corn. Similarly, multi-location trials on soybeans found that although boron application elevated tissue concentrations above sufficiency thresholds, grain yields did not increase at any site and actually decreased at two locations. Furthermore, soybeans exhibit high sensitivity to boron toxicity, which manifests as leaf yellowing and marginal scorching. Consequently, B fertilizer should not be applied to soybean, regardless of soil test recommendations. to prevent toxicity risks.
boron; Minnesota soils; corn; soybean; tissue analysis; soil test; boron toxicity

