Rothamsted Symposium on Trace Elements 100 



In eastern Finland, at the Carelian District Plant Breeding 

 Experiment Station at Antrea, which is situated near the present 

 frontier of the territory ceded to USSR in 1944, thorough experi- 

 ments with sugar beet were carried out from 1930 to 1940. The 

 purpose of the investigations was to demonstrate the possibilities 

 of sugar beet cultivation in eastern Finland. The tests at this 

 Experiment Station showed low yields. The more lime was given 

 to the soil, the less was the growth of the roots. Similar results 

 were also achieved, at other places, by various liming experiments. 

 Observations showed that the low yields were due to heart rot 



Table 19: A liming and fertilizing experiment conducted in 1937 on light clay: — 



5 kgHjBO, 

 Without boron per hectare 



Relative Diseased Relative Diseased 



Plots* number of roots, number of roots, 



the yield weight the yield weight 



of roots* % of roots* % 



100 48.8 118 5.9 



eOOOCaCOs 91 91.1 123 10.3 



900 Pkf + 500 K40 136 65.2 146 14.1 



500 K40 + 750 Nks 101 52.4 119 1.2 



900 Pkf + 750 Nks 115 88.8 141 8.7 



900 Pkf + 500 K40 + 750 Nks 110 85.9 153 H.O 



900 Pkf + 500 K40 + 750 Nks 84 100.0 149 5-0 



+ 6000 CaCOs 



1350 Pkf + 750 K40 + 1125 Nks 124 95.2 160 11.0 



1350 Pkf + 750 K40 + 1125 Nks 74 100.0 147 13.6 

 + 6000 CaCOs 



1 Fertilizers: kg per hectare. Pkf = superphosphate, K40 = potash salt, 40%, Nks = nitrate of lime. 

 ' Yields of roots given by means of relative numbers as compared to the yields of O-pIots without boron, 

 of which 15 630 kg per hectare was given. 



which in many cases afFected the plants severely. In 1937-39 

 special fertilizing and liming experiments were carried out at the 

 Carelian Experiment Station in order to investigate the effect of 

 boron on yield. Some results of the experiments, which have not 

 yet been published before, are given below. The experiments 

 were carried out by the chiefs of the Experiment Station, before 

 1939 by Mr. O. Saarnenheimo, M.A., and in 1939 by Mr. V. 

 Laurila, M.A. 



In the fertilizing and liming experiments of 1937 (Table 19) 

 heart rot was common if no boron was given to the plants. If 



