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Discrimination against N-15 in three N-2-fixing Trifolium species as influenced by Rhizobium strain and plant age

    Publication: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

    Abstract

    When estimating N-2 fixation with the N-15 natural abundance method, the N-15 abundance in plants grown with N-2 in air as only N source ( B), must be known in order to account for discrimination against N-15 during N-2 fixation. Trifolium hybridum L., T. pratense L. and T. repens L. were grown without N in the nutrient solution in a greenhouse. The aim was to establish B values in these species in symbioses with Scandinavian Rhizobium genotypes, and to test the hypothesis that B is related to N-2 fixation efficiency and plant age. Choice of Rhizobium strain significantly influenced B in shoots of T. hybridum and T. repens, and N content in all Trifolium species. B in shoots was partly correlated to amounts of N-2 fixed, while plant age only had a marginal effect. Soil suspension inoculum or single strain inocula gave very similar B in shoots of T. pratense.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)31-38
    Number of pages8
    JournalActa Agriculturae Scandinavica Section B: Soil and Plant Science
    Volume56
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2006

    Keywords

    • B value
    • clover
    • delta N-15
    • N-2 fixation
    • Trifolium hybridum
    • Trifolium pratense
    • Trifolium repens

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