Evaluation of Methods Proposed by ICARDA and the Soil Science Society of America for Determination of Soil Available Boron

Because the range between boron (B) deficiency and toxicity thresholds in soils for many plants is very short, accurate evaluation of available soil B status by soil testing is necessary for proper use of B fertilizer. This study was conducted to compare ICARDA and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) procedures as the most commonly used methods to determine available soil B. A total of 20 surface soils with different physical and chemical properties were selected and their available B concentration was measured by ICP method and the colorimetric procedures proposed by ICARDA and SSSA. The effect of activated carbon application and the presence of suspended colloids on B concentration was also investigated. Mean available B concentration in the soils for ICARDA and SSSA methods by ICP were 2.59 and 2.86 mg/kg, whereas those by azomethine-H were 2.43 and 2.69 mg/kg, respectively. The relationship between B measured by ICP and azomethine-H for SSSA indicated a higher correlation ( ) and a better fit to 1:1 line than ICARDA ( ). Mean B concentrations were 2.86 mg/kg using hot 0.02 M  and 2.84 mg/kg using hot water. The use of activated carbon decreased B in extracts significantly. The mean of available B extracted from the soils using hot water with carbon was 2.59 mg/kg, whereas it was 2.84 mg/kg without carbon. Use of 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 g carbon per 40 ml of B solutions with different initial concentrations yielded the mean B recovery of 104.9, 100.4 and 97.6%, respectively. Because of suspended colloids, B concentrations in extracts filtered through Whatman 40 filter-paper were higher than those filtered through Whatman 42. Without the use of carbon, predicted error in B determination due to color in extract ranged from 0 to 0.88 mg kg-1. Generally, the SSSA method measured available soil B more accurate than ICARDA and it is therefore recommended to use.