Boron leaf application to the peanut crop can be a viable strategy for supplying this element to the plant, however, knowledge os lacking on rate, time and dose split. The aim of this study was to evaluate the production and the leaf mineral composition at different rates, application times and split of boron fertilization. The experiment was conducted in the summer harvest 2010/2011 in an Oxisol in Rubiácea (SP). Leaf applications of boron rates of 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 kg ha-1 were tested using boric acid as source. The effects of boron fertilization were tested in single doses at the V1 and R5 growth stages, in addition to splitting the rate of 1 kg ha-1 ( 0.5 kg ha-1 at V1 and R5), 1.5 (0.75 kg ha-1 at V1 and R5; 0.5 kg ha-1 at V1, R1 and R5) and 2.0 kg ha-1 (1.0 kg ha-1 at V1 and R5; 0.5 kg ha-1 at V1, R1, R3 and R5). The increase in peanut yield occured only at the rate of 1.5 kg ha-1 split in three applications of 0.5 kg ha-1 at V1, R1 and R5. The leaf application of 2.0 kg ha-1 of B to peanut cause a depressing effect on yield and number of pods per plant.
Arachis hypogaea; boric acid; leaf fertilization
