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The response of Whitegrass [ Cortaderia pilosa (D’Urv.) Hack.] to nitrogen nutrition
Author(s) -
Wilson F. E. A.,
Harvey B. M. R.,
McAdam J. H.,
Walton D. W. H.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
grass and forage science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.716
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1365-2494
pISSN - 0142-5242
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2494.2001.00252.x
Subject(s) - shoot , nitrogen , biomass (ecology) , ammonium , botany , pasture , fertilizer , urea , ammonium nitrate , horticulture , biology , agronomy , chemistry , organic chemistry , biochemistry
To investigate the potential for increasing Falkland Island Whitegrass [ Cortaderia pilosa (D’Urv.) Hack.] pasture production through application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer, two hydroponic experiments were conducted. First, 5 mg l –1 N was supplied to plants as nitrate (NO 3 – ), urea [CO (NH 2 ) 2 ], ammonium (NH 4 + ), or a nine parts NH 4 + : one part NO 3 – mixture. At harvest, plants grown in a NO 3 – medium had about half the biomass of plants grown in a NH 4 + medium. In the second experiment plants were supplied with 1, 3, 10, 30 or 100 mg l –1 NH 4 + ‐N. Plants at 1 and 3 mg l –1 N had the largest biomass of young root and the lowest shoot–root ratios. Leaf extension rate was low in the 1 mg l –1 N treatment. Plants given 10 mg l –1 N had the greatest proportion of green shoot material but little root growth; while those at 100 mg l –1 N produced very little shoot and root biomass. Preferential assimilation of NH 4 + ‐N and a low N requirement make Whitegrass well adapted to dominating vegetation on much of the Falkland Islands.