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Effects of N and Seeding Rate on Grass‐Legume Mixtures on Coal Mine Spoils: Biomass Production, Soil Factors, and N2 Fixation 1
Author(s) -
Yamanaka K.,
Holl F. B.
Publication year - 1984
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/agronj1984.00021962007600060009x
Subject(s) - agronomy , seeding , legume , biomass (ecology) , nitrogen fixation , soil fertility , fertilizer , field experiment , nitrogen , environmental science , revegetation , biology , soil water , chemistry , botany , soil science , ecological succession , organic chemistry
The importance of N 2 ‐fixing legume species in colonization and the development of stable ecosystems on reclaimed mineral spoils has long been recognized. In greenhouse experiments on coal mine spoils some of the factors affecting early plant performance have been evaluated. Applied N was rapidly taken up by plants or leached from the spoil material, such that N would be a limiting factor under similar field conditions. Total biomass production increased with increasing grass seeding rates and at high N fertility while N 2 fixation was depressed at higher grass seeding rates and with high N fertility. In the same treatments, a significant (P < 0.01) grass − fertilizer interaction was reflected by an observed decrease in legume biomass. Changes in aboveground total biomass and N 2 fixation were related to changes in the legume component and were largely independent of soil N. Optimum biomass production and N 2 ‐fixing activity were obtained by a treatment combination of 17.5 kg/ha grasses, 30 kg/ha legumes, and 50 kg/ha N.