Boron in Plant Reproduction

Abstract

In the period since the first B symposium in 1997 (Bell and Rerkasem 1997; Dell et al., 1997), progress in defining either structural or metabolic roles for B in reproductive parts of seed plants has been disappointing. However, better control of B in solution (Huang et al., 1999) has allowed B effects on anther and pollen development in wheat to be more fully documented (Huang et al., 2000, Huang et al., 2001). This work on wheat is briefly reviewed to highlight principles that are emerging about the function of B in reproductive development.