Symptomology of Fluoride and Boron Injury in Lilium longiflorum Thunb.1

Abstract ‘Ace’ lilies were grown in soils amended with: dicalcium phosphate; dicalcium phosphate and elevated levels of F, B, or F plus B; superphosphate; and with superphosphate plus B. Not only were symptoms of B injury evident earlier than those of F injury, but B and F toxicity syndromes were readily distinguishable. Plants grown with B had chlorotic and necrotic leaf tips without chlorotic and necrotic basal leaves, and the leaves contained elevated B levels. In B injury, the necrotic area was sharply delineated from live tissue. Plants grown with F on superphosphate had basal leaves that were chlorotic and necrotic, had upper leaves that were chlorotic and necrotic, and contained elevated F levels. Initial symptoms of injury in plants grown in soils amended with dicalcium phosphate and F plus B, with superphosphate plus B, and with dicalcium phosphate plus B were similar, because of the early effect of B. At flowering, plants grown in soils amended with dicalcium phosphate and F plus B, with dicalcium phosphate plus F, with superphosphate, and with superphosphate plus B were severely injured.