Page 25 - 《华中农业大学学报（自然科学版）》2023年第6期

第 6 期 徐芳森：华中农业大学作物硼营养研究之历程与展望 17

Course and prospects of studying crop boron nutrition
at Huazhong Agricultural University： commemorating

the first anniversary of Mr. WANG Yunhua’s death

XU Fangsen
College of Resources and Environment/Microelement Research Center，
Huazhong Agricultural University，Wuhan 430070，China

Abstract Boron （B） is an essential micronutrient for plants，and boron fertilizer is the most widely
used trace element fertilizer in China.In 1975，Mr. WANG Yunhua found that the “budding but no flower⁃
ing”symptom of cotton grown in large areas of farmland in Xinzhou County，Hubei Province was caused by
boron deficiency，which initiated studies on crop boron nutrition at Huazhong Agricultural University.It has
been nearly 50 years since then.It has gone through four stages with obvious characteristics and cross inte⁃
gration in the 50-year long history including the diagnosis of boron nutrition and application techniques of
boron fertilizer in crops （1975-1985），which mainly established the diagnosis of boron nutrition and appli⁃
cation technology of boron fertilizer for cotton in China； the absorption and utilization of boron in crops and
their nutritional mechanisms （1985-1995），mainly focused on revealing the absorption，transport，distribu⁃
tion，and physiological functions of boron by cotton and rapeseed； the genetics and molecular mechanisms
of boron nutrition in crops （1995-2015），mainly aimed at screening B efficient varieties and cloning B effi⁃
cient genes of Brassica napus，and revealing the molecular regulatory mechanism of rapeseed response to B
deficiency stress； the efficient regulation and utilization of boron in crops （2015-），mainly aimed at con⁃
ducting in-depth study on boron efficient molecular regulation pathways in rapeseed，screening and cultivat⁃
ing boron efficient breeding materials and varieties，and carrying out integrated promotion and utilization of
efficient varieties combined with specialized fertilizers and advanced cultivation techniques. The results of
studying at different stages have made important contributions to the promotion and application of boron fer⁃
tilizer in agricultural production in China，as well as to the increase of yield and economic benefits of crops.
They also hold a place in the international application and basic research of boron nutrition in crops.On the
occasion of commemorating the first anniversary of Mr.Wang Yunhua’s death，the author provides a review
and summary of the main research in four stages mentioned above to enrich readers and express the author’s
respect for Mr.Wang.
Keywords crop； boron； nutrition diagnosis； application technology； absorption and utilization；

physiology； genetics

（责任编辑：张志钰）