Do Grass Seed Fields in the Willamette Valley Need Boron Fertilizer?
Boron (B) is the most widespread of all micronutrient deficiencies in the Pacific Northwest. However, crops vary widely in their B needs. In general, dicotyledons (broadleaf plants) have a greater requirement than monocotyledons (grasses). Legume and brassica crops are the most sensitive of the dicots to insufficient B. Crops with a high B requirement need more than 0.5 ppm soil test B. Some agronomists suggest 0.3 ppm B be used as a sufficiency guideline for crops with a low B requirement. OSU fertilizer guides do not use this guideline and do not recommend B fertilizer application to wheat or grass seed crops in Oregon. However, most grass seed fields in the Willamette Valley do not have a history of B fertilizer application and have soil test values at or below 0.3 ppm B. This study was conducted to determine if grass seed crops in the valley are responsive to B fertilizer.
