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Boron toxicity is an increasingly serious problem leading to soil degradation and vegetation loss in arid and semi-arid environments worldwide. The soils of solonetzic complexes often display this characteristic. This study aimed to investigate the vertical distribution of hot water soluble-boron (hws-B) in the sodic and agricultural soils of Israna block in Haryana, India. The study also examined the influence of various soil variables on hws-B. The samples were collected at six depths to assess the availability of B. Additionally, an assessment was conducted to ascertain the appropriateness of the water sources for irrigation. The findings of our study revealed a notable disparity in the hws-B content between sodic soils and control agricultural soils, with the former exceeding the toxic thresholds. The levels of B available to plants were highest in the upper layers of soil and reduced as the depth increased. A number of variables influenced the water-soluble B content in sodic soils, particularly pH, calcite content, electrical conductivity (EC), organic matter (OM), and calcium-boron ratio (Ca/B). The results indicated that the boron levels in both surface and groundwater were within acceptable limits for irrigation purposes, suggesting that boron toxicity may not be directly attributed to these sources. Our study suggests that sodic soils contain high levels of boron, which can be toxic, and consequently, proper management of these soils is recommended. It is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of boron levels in surface and sub-surface soils, as well as in irrigation water, in order to effectively manage soil and improve crop productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the accumulation of boron (B) in the soils, sediments, and plants in the wastewater (treated and untreated) irrigation farmlands. Twelve sites of soils and four sites of sediments were collected in two wastewater irrigation areas of Tianjin, China. Our results show that the long-term irrigation of wastewater induced B accumulation in the soils (81 − 90 mg kg−1 on average) and sediments (112 − 150 mg kg−1 on average). The readily available B fractions, salt extractable B and water extractable B, accounted for more than half of the extractable B. The plant available B in the soils exceeded toxic levels of most sensitive crops but B in plant leaves did not reach the thresholds. This study indicates that long-term irrigation of wastewater would induce excess accumulation of B in the soils of the farmlands and might pose a toxicity risk to the plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]