Variation in sterility among wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes in response to boron deficiency in Nepal

Two field experiments were carried out at the Khairanitar Farm, Nepal during the winter season of 1993 to investigate whether wheat genotypes differ in their sterility response to low soil boron and whether boron added to soil can correct sterility. A nursery consisting of 41 diverse genotypes from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, China, Pakistan and CIMMYT/Mexico were evaluated in a plot where severe sterility had been observed in previous years. The second experiment involved six genotypes of known sterility responses to boron grown with or without an application of boron at 1 kg ha^sup -1^. Large differences were observed among genotypes in terms of number of grain set per ear (range 0.5 to 30 ) and sterility (5.5% to 97.5%). About one third of all the genotypes had 75% sterility. The genotypes Fang-60, Sonalika, De Mai 6-22, BUC/FLK/MYNA/VL and HDW-234 were highly tolerant to boron deficiency with