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Excess‐Base and Excess‐Base/Nitrogen Ratio of Various Crop Species and Parts of Plants 1
Author(s) -
Pierre W. H.,
Banwart Wayne L.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1973.00021962006500010028x
Subject(s) - crop , agronomy , nitrogen , fagopyrum , biology , brassica , brassica oleracea , temperate climate , legume , field crop , botany , chemistry , organic chemistry
The primary objective of this study was to determine how various crop species differ in their cation‐anion balance and thus in their effects on soil reaction and on the acidifying effects of N fertilizers on the base status of soils. Samples of 27 species of cereal, grass, legume, and miscellaneous field and vegetable crops were collected from a wide range of environmental conditions in the field. The plants were analyzed for total N, nitrate N, and excess‐base (EB); and calculations were made of excess‐base/organic N ratios (EB/N). Similar determinations were also made on the principal plant parts of 13 crop species. Marked differences were found in the excess‐base of the various crop species. The average EB ranged from 30 meq/100 g for wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) to 213 meq/100 g for tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum L.). In general, monocotyledons were lower in EB than dicotyledons. Likewise, crop species showed distinctive differences in EB/N ratios, ranging from 0.24 for cabbage ( Brassica oleracea capitata ) to 1.09 for buckwheat ( Fagopyrum esculentum ). Samples of a given crop species grown under a wide range of environmental conditions showed considerable range in EB and EB/N ratios. For most crop species the coefficients of variation of EB/N ranged from 10 to 20%. The principal plant parts of a given crop species showed in many instances moderate to large differences in EB and EB/N. Thus, differences in the proportion of plant parts in different samples may affect the EB and EB/N of a given species. The significance of the differences in the EB/N of various crop species in modifying the effect of N fertilizers on soil acidity is discussed.