Abstract
The response of faba bean to the application of four rates of gypsum (0, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0 t ha−1) to a non-saline, alkaline sodic soil was measured in terms of grain yield, dry matter (DM) production, N accumulation and the proportional dependence of the legume on symbiotic N2 fixation (P atm). A yield-independent, time-integrated 15N-dilution model was used to estimate symbiotic dependence. A significant decrease in the exchangeable sodium percentage and significant increases in exchangeable Ca++ and the Ca++:Mg++ ratio in the 0–10-cm soil layer were measured 30 months after application of 10 t ha−1 gypsum. Despite low and erratic rainfall during crop growth, faba bean DM and N uptake responded positively to gypsum application. The symbiotic dependence of the legume at physiological maturity was little affected by sodicity (P atm = 0.74 at zero gypsum and 0.81–0.82 at 2.5–10 t ha−1 gypsum). The increase in fixed N due to gypsum application was mainly due to increases in legume DM and total N uptake. At 10 t ha−1 of gypsum, faba bean fixed more than 200 kg N ha−1 in above-ground biomass.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank Dr. S.D. Jarwal (formerly, Victorian Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Horsham) for assistance with establishing and maintaining the field experiment and soil sampling. Ms. N. Lewis and Messrs. C. Eagle and R. Teo provided skilled technical assistance. The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) provided financial support through funding of a postgraduate scholarship for Mr. A.P. Smith.
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Smith, A.P., Chen, D. & Chalk, P.M. N2 fixation by faba bean (Vicia faba L.) in a gypsum-amended sodic soil. Biol Fertil Soils 45, 329–333 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-008-0347-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-008-0347-6