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  • Articles  (15)
  • Nitrogen fixation  (12)
  • Holocene
  • 1995-1999  (15)
  • 1996  (15)
  • Geosciences  (15)
  • 1
    ISSN: 1432-0789
    Keywords: Key words Crop rotation ; Field pea ; Mineral N ; Nitrogen fixation ; immobilisation ; Pisum sativum
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology , Geosciences , Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: Abstract The effects of soil incorporation with cereal straw (nil, 2.5, 5 and 10 t straw ha–1) and direct drilling on the proportion and amount of pea N derived from biological N fixation were investigated in three field experiments. Fixed N was determined by 15N dilution using barley as a reference plant. The three sites were on acidic, red clay-loams in the cropping zone of southeastern Australia. Seasonal plant available soil N, as determined by the N accumulated in barley, was 31, 56 and 158 kg N ha–1, for the three sites. Incorporated straw reduced soil nitrate at sowing by 10–50 kg N ha–1 (0–30 cm), and 5 or 10 t straw ha–1 reduced barley uptake of N by 10–38 kg N ha–1. However, reducing plant available soil N was generally ineffective for increasing the N fixed by pea. Fixed N increased only at the site with the least plant-available N, and only one-third of the increase could be attributed to lower soil N uptake by pea. There was no evidence that direct drilling pea increased fixed N by decreasing crop uptake of soil N. It is proposed that a lower requirement for soil N by pea as compared to barley, and availability of mineral N beneath the soil layer treated with straw, minimise the effectiveness of straw incorporation for increasing the N fixed by pea.
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  • 2
    ISSN: 1432-0789
    Keywords: Herbaspirillum ; Endophytes of Gramineae ; Diazotrophs ; Survival in soil ; Nitrogen fixation ; sugarcane
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology , Geosciences , Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: Abstract Since the first description of Herbaspirillum seropedicae in 1986, few data have been published on this diazotroph, possibly due to difficulties in isolating it from soil. In the present study we found that this bacterium seems to be an obligate endophyte which has been isolated from roots, stems, and leaves of a large number of samples of more than 10 different species of the Gramineae family, but only exceptionally from other plants. H. rubrisubalbicans, previously misnamed as “Pseudomonas” rubrisubalbicans, and known as a mild pathogen of sugarcane causing mottled stripe disease, confirms the endophytie habitat of this genus. This species occurs in roots, stems, and leaves of sugarcane and seems to be restricted to this crop. Inoculation of strains from both species into soil in high numbers resulted in a rapid decline in their numbers. In only 30 days the population of Herbaspirillum spp. in soil decreased below detection limits (〈100 cells g-1). When sorghum was planted in this soil, the bacteria reappeared and multiplied within the plant tissues.
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  • 3
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Springer
    Biology and fertility of soils 23 (1996), S. 243-248 
    ISSN: 1432-0789
    Keywords: Key words Adverse soil conditons ; Aeschynomene ; Green manure ; Lowland rice ; Nitrogen fixation ; Sesbania ; Forming system development
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology , Geosciences , Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: Abstract Poor adoption of sustainable pre-rice green manure technology by lowland farmers is frequently associated with unreliable legume performance under adverse environmental conditions such as marginal soils, short photoperiod, and unfavorable hydrology. A series of field and microplot experiments were conducted at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in 1991 and 1992 to screen and evaluate 12 promising flood-tolerant legumes for adaptation (N accumulation and biological N2 fixation) to a range of environmental stresses, frequently encountered in rice lowlands. Legumes belonging to the genera Sesbania and Aeschynomene were grown for 8 weeks at 10×10 cm spacing: (1) in a fertile control soil and in four marginally productive irrigated lowland rice soils (sandy Entisol, P-deficient Inceptisol, acid Ultisol, and saline Mollisol); (2) during short- (11.7 h) and long-day (12.3 h) seasons in a favorable irrigated lowland soil; and (3) in an aerobic soil (drought-prone rain-fed lowland) and a deep-flood-prone lowland soil (1 week seedling submergence). A large variability in N accumulation was observed among legume species and across different environments, ranging from less than 1 to over 70 mg N plant–1. The nitrogen derived from the atmosphere (Ndfa) accounted on average for 82% of total N accumulation. Sesbania virgata was least affected by unfavorable soil conditions but its Ndfa was the lowest among the tested species (less than 60%). Stem nodule formation did not convey a significant advantage to legumes grown under adverse soil conditions. However, flooding reduced N2 fixation less in stem-nodulating than in solely root-nodulating species. Most species drastically reduced N accumulation under short-day conditions. Aeschynomene afraspera and S. speciosa were least affected by photoperiod. The considerable genetic variability in the germplasm screened allows the selection of potentially appropriate legumes to most conditions studied, thus increasing N accumulation in green manures.
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  • 4
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Springer
    Biology and fertility of soils 23 (1996), S. 362-367 
    ISSN: 1432-0789
    Keywords: Cryptobiotic ; Cryptogamic ; Microphytic ; Microbiotic ; Deserts ; Nitrogen fixation ; Nutrient cycling ; Lichens ; Microcoleus vaginatus ; Collema tenax ; Heterocysts ; Acetylene reduction assay ; ARA
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology , Geosciences , Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: Abstract Cyanobacterial-lichen soil crusts can be a dominant source of nitrogen for cold-desert ecosystems. Effects of surface disturbance from footprints, bike and vehicle tracks on the nitrogenase activity in these crusts was investigated. Surface disturbances reduced nitrogenase activity by 30–100%. Crusts dominated by the cyanobacterium Microcoleus vaginatus on sandy soils were the most susceptible to disruption; crusts on gypsiferous soils were the least susceptible. Crusts where the soil lichen Collema tenax was present showed less immediate effects; however, nitrogenase activity still declined over time. Levels of nitrogenase activity reduction were affected by the degree of soil disruption and whether sites were dominated by cyanobacteria with or without heterocysts. Consequently, anthropogenic surface disturbances may have serious implications for nitrogen budgets in these ecosystems.
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  • 5
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Springer
    Biology and fertility of soils 23 (1996), S. 362-367 
    ISSN: 1432-0789
    Keywords: Key words Cryptobiotic ; Cryptogamic ; Microphytic ; Microbiotic ; Deserts ; Nitrogen fixation ; Nutrient ; cycling ; Lichens ; Microcoleus vaginatus ; Collema tenax ; Heterocysts ; Acetylene reduction assay ; ARA
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology , Geosciences , Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: Abstract Cyanobacterial-lichen soil crusts can be a dominant source of nitrogen for cold-desert ecosystems. Effects of surface disturbance from footprints, bike and vehicle tracks on the nitrogenase activity in these crusts was investigated. Surface disturbances reduced nitrogenase activity by 30–100%. Crusts dominated by the cyanobacterium Microcoleus vaginatus on sandy soils were the most susceptible to disruption; crusts on gypsiferous soils were the least susceptible. Crusts where the soil lichen Collema tenax was present showed less immediate effects; however, nitrogenase activity still declined over time. Levels of nitrogenase activity reduction were affected by the degree of soil disruption and whether sites were dominated by cyanobacteria with or without heterocysts. Consequently, anthropogenic surface disturbances may have serious implications for nitrogen budgets in these ecosystems.
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  • 6
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Springer
    Biology and fertility of soils 23 (1996), S. 243-248 
    ISSN: 1432-0789
    Keywords: Adverse soil conditons ; Aeschynomene ; Green manure ; Lowland rice ; Nitrogen fixation ; Sesbania ; Forming system development
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology , Geosciences , Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: Abstract Poor adoption of sustainable pre-rice green manure technology by lowland farmers is frequently associated with unreliable legume performance under adverse environmental conditions such as marginal soils, short photoperiod, and unfavorable hydrology. A series of field and microplot experiments were conducted at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in 1991 and 1992 to screen and evaluate 12 promising flood-tolerant legumes for adaptation (N accumulation and biological N2 fixation) to a range of environmental stresses, frequently encountered in rice lowlands. Legumes belonging to the genera Sesbania and Aeschynomene were grown for 8 weeks at 10×10 cm spacing: (1) in a fertile control soil and in four marginally productive irrigated lowland rice soils (sandy Entisol, P-deficient Inceptisol, acid Ultisol, and saline Mollisol); (2) during short- (11.7h) and long-day (12.3 h) seasons in a favorable irrigated lowland soil; and (3) in an aerobic soil (drought-prone rain-fed lowland) and a deep-flood-prone lowland soil (1 week seedling submergence). A large variability in N accumulation was obsersed among legume species and across different environments, ranging from less than 1 to over 70 mg N plant-1. The nitrogen derived from the atmosphere (Ndfa) accounted on average for 82% of total N accumulation. Sesbania virgata was least affected by unfavorable soil conditions but its Ndfa was the lowest among the tested species (less than 60%). Stem nodule formation did not convey a significant advantage to legumes grown under adverse soil conditions. However, flooding reduced N2 fixation less in stem-nodulating than in solely root-nodulating species. Most species drastically reduced N accumulation under short-day conditions. Aeschynomene afraspera and S. speciosa were least affected by photoperiod. The considerable genetic variability in the germplasm screened allows the selection of potentially appropriate legumes to most conditions studied, thus increasing N accumulation in green manures.
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  • 7
    ISSN: 1573-0417
    Keywords: Atacama ; Holocene ; limnogeology ; South America ; paleoclimatology ; lake sediments
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology , Geosciences
    Notes: Abstract Sedimentological, mineralogical and geochemical analyses of sediment cores from 9 m-deep, saline Laguna Miscanti, Chile (23 ° 44′S, 67 °46′W, 4140 m a.s.l.) together with high-resolution seismic profiles provide a mid to late Holocene time series of regional environmental change in the Atacama Altiplano constrained by 210Pb and conventional 14C dating. The mid Holocene was the most arid interval since the last glacial maximum, as documented by subaerial exposure and formation of hardgrounds on a playa surface. Extremely low lake levels during the mid Holocene appear consistent with lower effective moisture recorded at other sites along the Altiplano and in the Amazon Basin. Termination of this arid period represented a major shift in the regional environmental dynamics and inaugurated modern atmospheric conditions. The cores show a progressive upward increase in effective moisture interrupted by numerous century-scale drier periods of various intensities and durations that characterize a fluctuating late Holocene climate. In spite of chronological uncertainties, the major environmental changes seem to correlate with the available paleorecords from the region providing a coherent account of effective moisture variability in the tropical highlands of South America.
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  • 8
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Springer
    Journal of paleolimnology 16 (1996), S. 323-354 
    ISSN: 1573-0417
    Keywords: diatoms ; chrysophytes ; pollen ; charcoal ; hemlock decline ; Holocene ; Massachusetts
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology , Geosciences
    Notes: Abstract We examined the stratigraphic record of North Pond, a small, oligotrophic lake in western Massachusetts, U.S.A. to describe late and post-glacial watershed-lake interactions. In particular we investigated the effects of two similar vegetation changes in the watershed on lake biogeochemistry. There was a transient (about 100 years) decline in hemlock ca. 7500 yr B.P. that has not been recorded in other pollen stratigraphies in the northeast. The second event was the classical hemlock decline that occurred ca. 4800 yr B.P. and lasted about 2000 years. This decline occurred throughout the range of hemlock and is thought to have been caused by a pathogen. As the climate began to warm ca. 10 000 yr B.P., a spruce dominated boreal woodland was established in the watershed. Sediment chemistry data showed that as soils became more acidic, the lake also acidified as evidenced by diatom-inferred (DI) pH. Hemlock was established in the watershed by about 8000 yr B.P. This was accompanied by a slight decrease in DI pH. The transient hemlock decline ca. 7500 yr B.P. was associated with an increase in sedimentary charcoal particles, that suggested fire was responsible for its demise. The diatom stratigraphy indicated a brief, slight, increase in productivity and alkalinity and a brief decrease in lakewater dissolved organic carbon concentrations. Aquatic microfossil data indicated a decrease in the area of the littoral zone ca. 7500 yr B.P. Following the transient decline the lake became more acidic. There were only brief, subtle changes associated with the classical hemlock decline, including a slight decline in DI pH. Although the two disturbances involved a similar vegetation shift, the timing and mechanisms of the disturbances had a greater impact on lake biogeochemistry.
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  • 9
    Electronic Resource
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    Journal of paleolimnology 15 (1996), S. 133-145 
    ISSN: 1573-0417
    Keywords: Bahamas ; Holocene ; fire history ; climate change ; human disturbance ; charcoal stratigraphy ; pollen analysis
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology , Geosciences
    Notes: Abstract A 2 m sediment core from Church's Blue Hole on Andros Island, Bahamas provides the first paleoecological record from the Bahama Archipelago. The timing of events in the lower portion of the core is uncertain due to inconsistencies in the radiocarbon chronology, but there is evidence that a late Holocene dry period altered the limnology of Church's Blue Hole and supported only dry shrubland around the site. The dry period on Andros may correlate with a widespread dry period in the Caribbean from 3200 to 1500 yr BP. After the dry period ended, a more mesic climate supported tropical hardwood thicket around Church's Blue Hole. At c. 740 radiocarbon yr BP there is a sudden rise in charcoal concentration and a rapid transition to pinewoods vegetation, while at c. 430 radiocarbon yr BP charcoal concentration drops, but is higher again near the top of the core. Although climatic shifts could have caused these changes in vegetation and charcoal concentration, the changes post-date human colonization of the Bahamas and may reflect human arrival, followed by the removal of humans c. 1530 AD and the recolonization of Andros Island c. 200 years later.
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  • 10
    Electronic Resource
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    Biology and fertility of soils 21 (1996), S. 77-83 
    ISSN: 1432-0789
    Keywords: Denitrification ; Field experiment ; Acetylene inhibition technique ; Nitrate ; Soil moisture ; Vicia faba ; Nitrogen fixation
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology , Geosciences , Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: Abstract Denitrification rates were studied using the C2H2 inhibition technique in a 2-year field experiment within plots of nodulated and non-nodulated faba beans, ryegrass, and cabbage. Denitrification rates ranged from 14.40 to 0.02 ng N2O−N g−1 soil dry weight h−1. Mean denitrification increased fourfold in plots of N2−fixing Vicia faba compared to non-nodulated V. faba mutant F48, Lolium perenne, and Brassica oleracea. The results with and without C2H2 treatment indicate that in the field the major part of this enhanced denitrification led to the endproduct N2 rather than to the ozone-degrading N2O. Higher denitrification rates of plots with N2−fixing plants in September seemed to be caused by an increase in soil NO inf3 sup- of about 20 kg ha−1 found between July and August. Soil NO inf3 sup- and soil moisture explained 67% of the variation in denitrification rates of the different soil samples over the growing seasons in the 2 years. Soil moisture explained 44% of the variation for soil planted with N2−fixing plants and 62% for soil planted with non-fixing plants. Positive exponential relationships were obtained between denitrification rates and soil nitrate (r=0.71) and soil moisture (r=0.82).
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  • 11
    Electronic Resource
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    Biology and fertility of soils 21 (1996), S. 293-302 
    ISSN: 1432-0789
    Keywords: Key words Ammonium excretion ; Azorhizobium caulinodans ; Auxine ; 2 ; 4-Dichlor-phenoxy-acetic acid ; Nitrogen fixation ; Paranodulation ; Rice ; Electron microscopy
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology , Geosciences , Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: Abstract Rice seedlings developed nodule-like tumors (para-nodules) along primary and secondary roots when treated with the auxin 2,4-dichlor-phenoxy-acetic acid (2,4-D). Histologically, these tumors appeared as cancerous out-grown lateral-root primordes and were thus comparable with stem nodules of the legume Sesbania rostrata. Azorhizobium caulinodans (a diazotroph known as a specific endophyte of Sesbania rostrata) was introduced and became established inside rice para-nodules and in root tissues around tumor bases. The infection with A. caulinodans followed a typical “crack-entry” invasion at places where para-nodule tumors had emerged through the root cortex and epidermis. The bacteria settled with high cell densities in intercellular spaces of the induced tumors and betwen root cortical cells. Infection of plant cells took place both in the epidermis and in cortical tissue. Intracellularly established A. caulinodans was found inside the cytoplasm, surrounded by membrane-like structures. N2 fixation by tumor-inhabiting Azorhizobium sp. was increased at low O2 tensions (1.5–3 kPa) compared with an untreated control. Only a little activity remained at O2 tensions of 5 kPa and above. The present results confirm that root-tumor induction offers a suitable method of establishing diazotrophs endophytically in the roots of gramineous crops.
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  • 12
    Electronic Resource
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    Biology and fertility of soils 23 (1996), S. 50-56 
    ISSN: 1432-0789
    Keywords: Agroforestry ; 15N ; Nitrogen fixation ; Phenolics ; 13C ; Tree fallows
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology , Geosciences , Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: Abstract The natural abundance of 15N and 13C, conventional soil analyses, and biomass production by maize were used to study the influence of five tropical tree species on soils and their fertility. The experiment was conducted in Morogoro, Tanzania, to compare Cassia (Senna) siamea, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E. tereticornis (all non-N2-fixing), Leucaena leucocephala, Prosopis chilensis (both N2-fixing), and a grass fallow. Maize biomass production, which was correlated with N uptake (P=0.001), was higher on soils from plots with 5-year-old Leucaena and Prosopis spp. compared to the grass fallow, while other tree species had less favourable effects on maize growth. The per cent N was higher in soil and δ15N of soil total N was lower under Prosopis sp. compared to soil under other tree species, which suggests an input from N2 fixation by Prosopis sp. A transfer of fixed N to maize or to understorey grass species was, however, not indicated by the 15N natural abundance. Prosopis sp. contributed more C to the soil than the other four tree species; the difference in δ13C between soils from Prosopis sp. plots and from grass fallow plots showed that the tree contributed 11% to the total C of the soil over a period of 8 years. The leaves of the N2-fixing species had a low ratio of lignin+phenols to N, and maize growth was negatively correlated with this parameter. The Eucalyptus spp. had leaves with a high lignin+phenols to N ratio, contributed very little C to the soil, and lowered the soil pH.
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  • 13
    ISSN: 1432-0789
    Keywords: Key words Herbaspirillum ; Endophytes of Gramineae ; Diazotrophs ; Survival in soil ; Nitrogen fixation ; Sugarcane
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology , Geosciences , Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: Abstract Since the first description of Herbaspirillum seropedicae in 1986, few data have been published on this diazotroph, possibly due to difficulties in isolating it from soil. In the present study we found that this bacterium seems to be an obligate endophyte which has been isolated from roots, stems, and leaves of a large number of samples of more than 10 different species of the Gramineae family, but only exceptionally from other plants. H. rubrisubalbicans, previously misnamed as “Pseudomonas” rubrisubalbicans, and known as a mild pathogen of sugarcane causing mottled stripe disease, confirms the endophytic habitat of this genus. This species occurs in roots, stems, and leaves of sugarcane and seems to be restricted to this crop. Inoculation of strains from both species into soil in high numbers resulted in a rapid decline in their numbers. In only 30 days the population of Herbaspirillum spp. in soil decreased below detection limits (〈100 cells g–1). When sorghum was planted in this soil, the bacteria reappeared and multiplied within the plant tissues.
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  • 14
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
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    Biology and fertility of soils 21 (1996), S. 293-302 
    ISSN: 1432-0789
    Keywords: Ammonium excretion ; Azorhizobium caulinodans ; Auxine 2.4-Dichlor-phenoxy-acetic acid ; Nitrogen fixation ; Paranodulation ; Rice ; Electron microscopy
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology , Geosciences , Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: Abstract Rice seedlings developed nodule-like tumors (para-nodules) along primary and secondary roots when treated with the auxin 2,4-dichlor-phenoxy-acetic acid (2,4-D). Histologically, these tumors appeared as cancerous out-grown lateral-root primordes and were thus comparable with stem nodules of the legume Sesbania rostrata. Azorhizobium caulinodans (a diazotroph known as a specific endophyte of Sesbania rostrata) was introduced and became established inside rice para-nodules and in root tissues around tumor bases. The infection with A. caulinodans followed a typical “crack-entry” invasion at places where paranodule tumors had emerged through the root cortex and epidermis. The bacteria settled with high cell densities in intercellular spaces of the induced tumors and between root cortical cells. Infection of plant cells took place both in the epidermis and in cortical tissue. Intracellularly established A. caulinodans was found inside the cytoplasm, surrounded by membrane-like structures. N2 fixation by tumor-inhabiting Azorhizobium sp. was increased at low O2 tensions (1.5–3 kPa) compared with an untreated control. Only a little activity remained at O2 tensions of 5 kPa and above. The present results confirm that root-tumor induction offers a suitable method of establishing diazotrophs endophytically in the roots of gramineous crops.
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  • 15
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
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    Biology and fertility of soils 23 (1996), S. 50-56 
    ISSN: 1432-0789
    Keywords: Key words Agroforestry ; 15N ; Nitrogen fixation ; Phenolics ; 13C ; Tree fallows
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Biology , Geosciences , Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: Abstract The natural abundance of 15N and 13C, conventional soil analyses, and biomass production by maize were used to study the influence of five tropical tree species on soils and their fertility. The experiment was conducted in Morogoro, Tanzania, to compare Cassia (Senna) siamea, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E. tereticornis (all non-N2-fixing), Leucaena leucocephala, Prosopis chilensis (both N2-fixing), and a grass fallow. Maize biomass production, which was correlated with N uptake (P=0.001), was higher on soils from plots with 5-year-old Leucaena and Prosopis spp. compared to the grass fallow, while other tree species had less favourable effects on maize growth. The per cent N was higher in soil and δ15N of soil total N was lower under Prosopis sp. compared to soil under other tree species, which suggests an input from N2 fixation by Prosopis sp. A transfer of fixed N to maize or to understorey grass species was, however, not indicated by the 15N natural abundance. Prosopis sp. contributed more C to the soil than the other four tree species; the difference in δ13C between soils from Prosopis sp. plots and from grass fallow plots showed that the tree contributed 11% to the total C of the soil over a period of 8 years. The leaves of the N2-fixing species had a low ratio of lignin+phenols to N, and maize growth was negatively correlated with this parameter. The Eucalyptus spp. had leaves with a high lignin+phenols to N ratio, contributed very little C to the soil, and lowered the soil pH.
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