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Dinitrogen Fixation and Nitrogen Transfer in Birdsfoot Trefoil–Orchardgrass Communities
Author(s) -
Farnham Dale E.,
George J. Ronald
Publication year - 1994
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/agronj1994.00021962008600040019x
Subject(s) - lotus corniculatus , trefoil , dactylis glomerata , agronomy , cultivar , nitrogen fixation , perennial plant , biology , legume , forage , pasture , nitrogen , poaceae , chemistry , organic chemistry
Birdsfoot trefoil ( Lotus comiculatus L.) is an important perennial forage legume used primarily for pasture. Despite its traditional usage as a source of nitrogen for cropping systems, little information is available on the amounts of atmospheric dinitrogen (N 2 ) that birdsfoot trefoil fixes or transfers to an associated grass during long‐term stands. Field research was undertaken to compare N 2 fixation and N transfer potentials of three birdsfoot trefoil cultivars and one experimental line (hereafter referred to collectively as the birdsfoot trefoil cultivars). These were seeded in binary mixtures with orchardgrass ( Dactylis glomerata L.). Dinitrogen fixation and N transfer were estimated by 15 N isotope dilution, using orchardgrass pure stands as a reference. Over the 2‐yr study, percentage legume N derived from fixation ranged from 93 to 95% among the birdsfoot trefoil cultivars. Dinitrogen fixation usually did not differ among cultivars within harvests. Total‐season fixed‐N yields among cultivars for the two years ranged from 90 to 138 kg ha −1 . Percentage orchardgrass N derived from N 2 fixation and N transfer ranged from 8 to 46%. Nitrogen transfer did not differ among birdsfoot trefoil cultivars at any harvest. Total‐season transferred‐N yields ranged from 4 to 42 kg ha −1 , with no differences among cultivars. Under the conditions of this study, the birdsfoot trefoil cultivars tested generally did not differ in their abilities to fix atmospheric N 2 or to transfer fixed N to associated orchardgrass.