Abstract
The results of a three year investigation on phyllospheric nitrogen fixation in Pinus nigra and Pseudotsuga menziesii growing in Central Italy are reported. The highest levels of nitrogen fixation in Pinus nigra and Pseudotsuga menziesii needles were reached during spring in three year old needles (from 6.1 to 7.6 and from 8.1 to 10.2 nmoles of N2 fixed h-1 g-1 needles) collected in the center of the canopy, while the lowest values (less than 1.5 and 3.0 nmoles of N2 fixed h-1 g-1 needles) were detected during summer in young needles collected in the lateral branches (areas more exposed to the light and with low humidity). Microorganisms belonging to the genera Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Achromobacter, Klebsiella and Mycobacterium were isolated from the needles of either Pinus nigra or Pseudotsuga menziesii.
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Istituto di Microbiologia Agraria e Tecnica dell'Universitá
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Favilli, F., Messini, A. Nitrogen fixation at phyllospheric level in coniferous plants in Italy. Plant Soil 128, 91–95 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00009400
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00009400