Summary
The total amount of nitrogen derived from symbiotic nitrogen fixation in two pea and one field bean cultivar, supplied with 50 kg N ha−1 at sowing (‘starter’-N), was estimated to 165, 136, and 186 kg N ha−1, respectively (three-year means). However, estimates varied considerably between the three years. At the full bloom/flat pod growth stage from 30 to 59 per cent of total N2 fixation had taken place. The proportion of total N derived from N2 fixation at maturity was higher in seeds than in vegetative plant parts and amounted to 59.5, 51.3 and 66.3 per cent of total above-ground plant N in the two pea cultivars and field bean, respectively (three-year means). The recovery of fertilizer N was 62.2, 70.2, 52.1, and 69.5 per cent in the two pea cultivars, field bean and barley, respectively. Growth analysis indicated that barley did not meet the claims for an ideal reference crop in the15N fertilizer dilution technique for estimating N2 fixation in pea and field bean. ‘Starter’-N neither increased the seed yield nor the N content of the grain legumes.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bremner J M and Mulvaney C S 1982 Nitrogen-Total.In Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 2, pp 595–641. Ed. A L Page. Am. Soc. Agron., Madison, Wis., U.S.A.
Fiedler R and Proksch G 1975 The determination of nitrogen-15 by emission and mass spectrometry in biochemical analysis: A review. Anal. Chim. Acta 78, 1–62.
Fried M and Broeshart H 1975 An independent measurement of the amount of nitrogen fixed by a legume crop. Plant and Soil 43, 707–711.
Fried M and Broeshart H 1981 A further extension of the method for independently measuring the amount of nitrogen fixed by a legume crop. Plant and Soil 62, 331–336.
Fried M and Middelboe V 1977 Measurement of amount of nitrogen fixed by a legume crop. Plant and Soil 47, 713–715.
Jensen E S, Andersen A J and Thomsen J D The influence of seed-borne N in15N isotope dilution studies with legumes. Acta Agric. Scand. (In press)
Lawrie A C and Wheeler C T 1973 The supply of photosynthetic assimilates to nodules ofPisum sativum L. in relation to the fixation of nitrogen. New Phytol. 72, 1341–1348.
Mahler R L, Bezdicek D F and Witters R E 1979 Influence of slope position on nitrogen fixation and yield of dry peas. Agron. J. 71, 348–351.
Mahon J D and Child J J 1979 Growth response of inoculated peas (Pisum sativum) to combined nitrogen. Can. J. Bot. 57, 1687–1693.
Mulder E G 1948 Investigations on the nitrogen nutrition of pea plants. Plant and Soil 1, 179–212.
Rennie R J, Rennie D A and Fried M 1978 Concepts of15N usage in dinitrogen fixation studies.In Isotopes in Biological Dinitrogen Fixation, Proceedings of an advisory group meeting organized by the joint FAO/IAEA division of atomic energy in food and agriculture and held in Vienna, 21–25 November 1977, pp 107–133.
Richards J E and Soper R J 1982 N fertilization of field-grown faba beans in Manitoba. Can. J. Soil Sci. 62, 21–30.
Sims A P, Folkes B F, Barber D J and Walls D 1983 The relative importance of nitrogen assimilation and dinitrogen fixation in the economy of the pea crop.In Temperate Legumes, pp 159–174. Eds. D G Jones and D R Davies. Pitman, Boston, U.S.A.
Sprent J I and Bradford A M 1977 Nitrogen fixation in field beans (Vicia faba) as affected by population density, shading and its relationship with soil moisture. J. Agric. Sci., Camb. 88, 303–310.
Wagner G H and Zapata F 1982 Field evaluation of reference crops in the study of nitrogen fixation by legumes using isotope techniques. Agron. J. 74, 607–612.
Witty J F 1983 Estimating N2-fixation in the field using15N-labelled fertilizer: Some problems and solutions. Soil Biol. Biochem. 15, 631–639.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jensen, E.S. Symbiotic N2 fixation in pea and field bean estimated by15N fertilizer dilution in field experiments with barley as a reference crop. Plant Soil 92, 3–13 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02372260
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02372260