Effects of rainfall on the use of foliar analysis for diagnosing boron toxicity in field-grown wheat

The effect of rain on foliage elemental composition, especially B, was assessed using samples of wheat collected at three harvests from a field trial conducted in soil containing excessive levels of B. Moderate rainfall substantially decreased both the B concentration and content of whole shoots and young leaves. The change in B concentration due to rain suggests that foliar analysis is unreliable for diagnosing B toxicity. For the other elements examined (Ca, Cu, Mg, Mn, Mg, P, S, Zn), rainfall had little effect.