RESPONSE OF COOL SEASON GRASS SEED CROPS TO BORON FERTILIZER IN THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY, OREGON

M.E. Mellbye, G.A. Gingrich and J.M. Hart
Department of Crop and Soil Science, 131 Crop Science Bldg.,
Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA 97331-3002

Field trials were conducted over a three-year period to evaluate the response of three cool season grass species to applications of B fertilizer on soils testing less than 0.5 mg kg^-1 B, the critical level for B sensitive crops. Both liquid and granular applications of B increased both soil test levels and plant flag leaf tissue concentrations at all locations. However, an increase in seed yield was measured in only 2 of 17 field tests.