Researchers Find Role of Boron in Growth and Development of Corn

Scientists at the University of Missouri discovered that boron plays an important part in development and reproduction in corn plants.

Boron deficiency is one of the most widespread causes of decreased crop yield. Thus, farmers in boron-deficient areas are required to supplement their soil with boron but little is known about how corn plants use up the essential nutrient.

According to researcher Paula McSteen, lack of boron leads to a problem in the meristems or the stem cells of the plant. Meristems include the growing points for each plant, and every organ in the plant is developed from these specialized stem cells. Inadequate levels of boron causes these growing points to disintegrate, significantly affecting corn tassels and kernels. When tassels are stunted, crop yields are reduced.

The research evaluated a group of plants stunted by its ability to grow tassels. Another researcher in the team, Kim Phillips, mapped the corn plant's genome and found that a genetic mutation stunted tassel growth because it was unable to transport boron across the plant membranes, inhibiting further growth in the plants.

Read the original article at http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2014/0825-mu-researchers-find-boron-facilitates-stem-cell-growth-and-development-in-corn/.