Effects of boron on aluminum toxicity on seedlings of two soybean cultivars

Boron (B) is an essential micronutrient for higher plants. It has been suggested that addition of B at an optimal concentration might alleviate Al toxicity. Little information is available about B effects on soybean seedling growth under Al stress and differential alleviation of B on Al toxicity. In the present study, the seedlings of two soybean cultivars (Williams and Nanrong 73-935) were grown in a solution with factorial combinations of Al (0, 2, and 5 mM) and B (0, 5, and 50 μM) in a randomized complete block design experiment for 18 days. The results showed that high B was found to ameliorate Al toxicity by significantly increasing the growth characters including root length under 2 mM Al stress, and epicotyl length and fresh weight under 5 mM Al stress of the two cultivars. However, high B concentration did not significantly increase chlorophyll content under Al stress. Williams was more sensitive than Nanrong 73-935 on the growth characters and chlorophyll content under double stresses (B deficiency combined with Al toxicity), although they had similar sensitivity to B deficiency stress alone for growth characters. In addition, high B concentration was found to cause toxicity symptoms on root length and older leaves of both cultivars under no Al stress.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]