The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors which influence boron retention by clay and humus systems. Fine clay fractions of Wyoming bentonite and kaolinite were saturated with H, Ca, Mg, K, and NH 4 ions and the effect of time and wetting and drying cycles studied. Boron retention by various humus systems was determined using an equilibrium membrane cell technique. Under moist conditions base‐saturated kaolinite and bentonite clays retained more boron than hydrogen‐saturated clays, except in the case of NH 4 bentonite. Drying the clays resulted in more retention in the hydrogen‐saturated clays than in the basic systems, except for magnesium‐bentonite. In view of the magnitude of boron retention by the humus systems and the chemical reactions between boron and di‐hydroxy organic compounds it is suggested that boron unites with “favorable” diols of the organic matter or those which are gradually released as intermediates of the microbiological breakdown of organic matter in a soil.
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Parks et al. (1952) studied this question.