Differential Transport of Boron in Tomato (Lycopersicon esculenlum Mill.)

Two tomato cultivars, T3238 (B-inefficient) and Rutgers (B-efficient), were grown in solution cultures with increasing concentrations of B. Rutgers was about 15 times more efficient than T3238 in utilizing the B in the growth medium. Rutgers translocated more B to top leaves than the inefficient T3238. When plants developed B-deficiency symptoms, there was no evidence of B redistribution between tissues. Reciprocal grafts of T3238 and Rutgers demonstrate root control of B transport.