Boron element essential to bulb crop growth

The sliced fodder beet bulb on the right reveals what a lack of boron may do - enable an invasion of mould, while the bulb on the left is near perfect.

Independent Whanganui fertiliser broker Robin Casey may have stumbled over the cause of failure in bulb crops in the region.

Casey said farmers in the Whanganui, Rangitikei and particularly Manawatu had experienced massive failure in fodder swede and turnip crops and he believes he has found the possible answer almost by default.

"Most bulb crops, especially fodder, have a huge thirst for boron and I knew this when I set out to grow a high-yielding, high-quality crop for a client," Casey said.

"For the past six years the client and I had been monitoring particular paddocks in pasture, but last year he decided to put in a crop of fodder.

We split the area in two and he followed recommended instructions, while I asked if I could add to extra elements on the paddock I was monitoring. He agreed.

"In October we planted the crop and I added K humate and boron while he followed traditional instructions. At first weed spray six weeks later I repeated my applications and he again followed the recommendations.

"Every April we had been conducting soil and herbage tests, so last month on April 20 we also had the bulbs tested. The bulbs we pulled out wouldn't fit in the box I had, so I cut them in half. Within 24 hours I was astounded.

They had initially looked the same, although the one from his paddock did have a small hole in the centre, but nothing to really worry about.

"The bulb from his paddock very quickly started rotting with a thick mould appearing, while mine remained perfectly normal.

The tests did reveal far more boron in mine as expected. As I've said, bulb crops have a huge thirst for this trace elements, possible six or seven times more than pasture does.

"I suspect the massive failure of bulb crops this season has something to do with boron levels. Well, the bulbs from the paddock I was monitoring were perfect with no defects anyway," Casey said.