Additional index words. Vigna unguiculata, plant nutrition, crop quality, nutrient management, sorbitolAbstract. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of boron (B) omission on cowpea nutrition and to compare the impact of foliar B fertilization with and without sorbitol on cowpea growth, nutritional status, and B uptake. Two trials using a completely randomized experimental design were conducted. During the first experiment, nutrient solution was provided without B (LB) and with B (+B) in 10 replicates. During the second experiment, a 5 3 2 factorial treatment scheme was used. Five B concentrations (0, 1.25, 2.5, 3.75, and 5.0 g · L L1 ) were administered foliarly in the form of boric acid with or without sorbitol (500 mmol · L L1 ) in four replicates. B omission symptoms, root growth, plant organ dry mass and B content, and grain yield were evaluated. B omission induced greater losses in reproductive organ and root growth than in leaf and stem production. It also caused deformation of the middle lamella and accumulation of starch in the chloroplasts. Foliar applications of 2.6 to 2.9 g · L L1 B improved cowpea production. The addition of sorbitol did not enhance plant growth. However, it increased B absorption in the vegetative parts of the plant but did not enhance seed production.
Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp] is cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, but its production is usually limited by boron (B) deficiency, which can be mitigated by applying B via foliar spraying. In plants with nutrient mobility, the residual effect of foliar fertilization increases, which might improve its efficiency. An experiment was carried out to evaluate the concentration and mobility of the B isotopic tracer (10B) in different organs of cowpea plants, after the application of this micronutrient in the growing media and also to leaves. Treatments were designed based on B fertilization as follows: without B in the growth media, with 10B applied via foliar spraying (10B-L), with B in the growth media (substrate) and 10B via foliar spraying (10B-L + B-S), and with 10B in the growth media (substrate) without foliar spraying (10B-S), and a control without fertilization. A redistribution of 10B was observed in new leaves when the element was supplied via foliar spraying, resulting in greater leaf area, dry mass and dry matter production of aerial parts, and also the whole plant. 10Boron was redistributed when applied via foliar spraying in cowpea plants, regardless of the plant's nutritional status, which in turn might increase internal B cycling.
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