Growth and mineral composition of tomato under various regimes of nitrogen nutrition 1

Five‐week‐old tomato plants were transplanted into pots containing 10 kg of potting compost which was amended with 0, 0.1, or 0.3 g of nitrapyrin and 4 g of N from KNO₃, (NH₄)₂SO₄ or sewage sludge and were grown in a greenhouse. After 2 to 3 weeks, leaves of the plants grown on any nitrapyrin x N source combination were curled with reduced laminae. Symptoms were most severe with the nitrapyrin x sludge regimes and least severe with the nitrapyrin x KNO₃ treatments. With (NH₄)₂SO₄ and sludge, growth was depressed linearly by nitrapyrin additions but was unaffected with KNO₃ fertilization. The concentrations of Ca and Mg in the shoots were lowered linearly or curvilinearly by nitrapyrin combination with any fertilizer whereas that of K was unaffected. Levels of Mn in leaves rose with nitrapyrin additions to the (NH₄)₂SO₄ or sludge treatment but were stable with any of the nitrapyrin x KNO₃ combinations. Cation antagonism among NH₄ ⁺, Ca⁺⁺, and Mg⁺⁺ is suggested as affecting the concentrations of these ions in tissues, whereas acidification of the medium and a restriction in dry matter production may account for the elevated levels of Mn in the tomato shoots grown in the presence of nitrapyrin.     

Growth and mineral composition of radish under different nitrification inhibitors and nitrogen sources

Abstract

Captan [N‐(trichloromethylthio)‐4‐cyclo‐hexene‐l, 2‐dicarboximide] and benomy¹[methyl 1‐(butylcarbamoyl)‐2‐benzimidazolecarbamate] were evaluated as nitrification inhibitors and compared with nitrapyrin [2‐chloro‐6‐(trichloromethyl)pyridine]. Nitrapyrin, captan, and benorayl were applied at 0, 20, 40, and 60 mg/kg with three nitrogen sources, KNO₃, (NH₄)₂SO₄, and urea, at 300 mg N/kg to ‘Cherry Belle’ radish (Raphanus sativusL). Nitrapyrin and captan inhibited nitrification effectively, but benomyl was not an effective inhibitor. Growth of radish roots and shoots was restricted with application of nitrapyrin and captan combined with (NH₄)₂SO₄or urea relative to the comparable KNO₃treatments. The concentrations of Ca, Mg, and NO₃‐N in plants, especially in shoots, fell, and the percentage of ? was increased with the addition of nitrapyrin and captan. Benomyl did not affect plant growth or composition     

Effect of rate of nitrapyrin and source of N on soil pH and response of burley tobacco

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted on Maury silt loam soil (Typic Paleudalf) during 2 years to determine the effects of rate of nitrapyrin and source of N fertilizer on soil pH and response of burley tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.cv.^xKy‐14'). All sources of N were applied at the rate of 280 kg N ha^‐1. The information was needed to increase the efficiency of N fertilizer use and improve the growth and safety of tobacco.

Results indicated that application of a NO₃ ^‐source of N fertilizer or low rates of nitrapyrin (0.56 to 2.24 kg ha^‐1) decreased surface soil acidification and the concentration of plant Mn, while plant dry weight early in the growing season was increased. The early growth benefits noted for .nitrapyrin did not lead to increased cured leaf yields or value. Cured leaf yield and value were highest in plots receiving Ca(NO₃)₂, followed by KH₄NO₃, then urea.

Concentration of protein N, total alkaloids, and total volatile nitrogenous bases of cured leaves increased and NO₃ ^‐‐N decreased as rate of nitrapyrin increased. Total N concentration of cured leaf, however, was not significantly affected by nitrapyrin application, indicating that the proportion of absorbed N as NH₄ ⁺increased as nitrapyrin rate increased.     

Growth and composition of cabbage as affected by nitrogen nutrition

Abstract

The effect of cultivar and rate of N application on nitrate accumulation in cabbage (Brassica oleracea capitata, L.) was investigated in a field study. At harvest, significant differences in nitrate accumulation among cultivars occurred, with the greatest differences occurring at the highest rate of N applied, 450 kg N/ha. Two of three straight‐leaved varieties, Market Prize and Market Victor, accumulated more nitrate than three savoy‐leaved varieties, Savoy Ace, Savoy King, and Chieftain Savoy. The third straight‐leaved variety studied, Harris Resistant Danish, accumulated the least nitrate. Pattern of nitrate accumulation was closely correlated with date of maturity, with the earliest‐maturing variety, Market Victor, accumulating the highest levels of nitrate, and the latest‐maturing variety, Harris Resistant Danish, accumulating the least nitrate. For all six varieties, outer wrapper‐leaf samples showed higher nitrate levels than head samples.

In a second study, the effect of cultivar, N source, and nitrapyrin on yield and nutritional status of cabbage was studied under greenhouse conditions. The six cabbage cultivars showed no significant differences in nitrate accumulation after 65 days. The presence of 10 ppm of nitrapyrin, 2‐chloro‐6‐(trichloromethyl) pyridine, resulted in a restriction in fresh and dry weight production in cabbage. No visual, foliar symptoms of nitrapyrin toxicity were evident. Calcium levels were reduced in the presence of nitrapyrin regardless of N source. Adding nitrapyrin had no sign:ficant effect on Mg concentration, and highest Mg levels occurred under ammonium nutrition. Potassium levels were increased in the presence of nitrapyrin when the soil was not supplemented with K, whereas differences in K content due to the inhibitor were insignificant when KNO₃ was supplied.     

Effects of nitrapyrin,terrazole, and simazine on soil nitrogen transformation and corn growth

Abstract

Nitrapyrin, terrazole and simazine were evaluated as chemical inhibitors of biological nitrification and denitrification. Corn (Zea mays L. cv. Hybrid Pioneer 3343) was grown in 60‐liter pots filled with a 50/50 (V/V) sand/Cecil clay mixture. Chemical treatments consisted of weekly applications of 0.25 ppm nitrapyrin, terrazole and/or simazine concurrently with 20 ppm N as either (NH₄)₂SO₄ or Ca(NO₃)₂ for 9 weeks. Thereafter, only N (20 ppm per pot) was applied to the media every three days for 4 weeks. Nitrapyrin, terrazole and simazine reduced nitrification resulting in both higher total plant N and residual soil NH₄ content relative to the control plants and soil. Plant growth was reduced by the inhibitory effects of the chemicals on nitrification and subsequent NH₄ accumulation in the medium. All chemicals reduced denitrification with terrazole being more effective than nitrapyrin as reflected by higher N contents of plants and residual soil NO₃‐N. Nitrapyrin and/or terrazole applied with Ca(NO₃)₂ increased plant biomass, but simazine, by inducing higher N0₂ concentration in the plant tissues, sharply reduced plant growth relative to the other treatments. When simazine was part of the chemical treatment, its effects on plant growth and total N contents generally outweighed or masked those of nitrapyrin or terrazole.     

Rate of nitrapyrin and soil ph effects on nitrification of ammonium fertilizer and growth and composition of burley tobacco

Abstract

Laboratory and greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine the effects of rate of nitrapyrin and soil pH on nitrification of NH₄ ⁺ fertilizer in soil, and growth and chemical composition of burley tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. ‘KY ‐14'). Such experiments were needed to develop information for increasing efficiency of N fertilizer use and to lessen the fertilizer‐induced soil acidity and salt effects on tobacco plants.

Results for laboratory and greenhouse incubations indicated that nitrification proceeeded slowly below pH 5.0 and the nitrapyrin necessary to delay nitrification increased with both increasing soil pH and length of incubation time. Generally, nitrification could be delayed 30 days by nitrapyrin rates of 0.25 or 0.5 μg g^‐1 regardless of soil pH. but rates of 1 μg g^‐1 nitrapyrin or higher were required for 60 days and longer incubation times, particularly at higher soil pH.

Growth and morphology of tobacco plants were either unaffected, or affected positively, by low rates of nitrapyrin (up to 2 μg g^‐1). However, rates of 4 μg g^‐1 and above reduced total plant dry weight, reducing sugars and contents of mineral elements. Concentrations and content of plant NO₃ ^‐ N and Mn were greatly decreased by application of nitrapyrin. Values for most parameters measured increased with increasing soil pH. The data show that low rates of nitrapyrin may be used to alter the ratio of NO₃ ^‐ to NH₄ ⁺ N absorbed by tobacco and possibly improve growth and safety of tobacco.     

Nitrogen effect on yield and kernel protein content of sweet corn grown on sandy soils

Abstract

Early spring application of N to Iowa sandy, leachable soils results in reduced sweet corn yields and kernel protein content. Normally, split N applications are used to coincide with crop N demand. Our objectives were to determine if nitrapyrin, a nitrification inhibitor, applied with urea would provide high yields and kernel protein levels when applied at planting.

Nitrogen rate increased yield, ear leaf N concentration, and kernel protein content in 1976 and 1978, with the optimum rate dependent on the year and soil N residual. Urea, with or without nitrapyrin, significantly enhanced yield 13%, early leaf N concentration 17%, and kernel protein content 9% as compared with Ca(NO₃)₂ for both years. High leaching loss of NO₃‐N occurred with the Ca(NO₃)₂ source as compared with urea alone. Kernel protein concentration correlated well with ear leaf N concentration (r = .74) and yield (r = .61). Ear leaf K content was not affected by N rate or source, but Ca(NO₃)₂ enhanced uptake of Ca and Mg as compared with the urea sources. Urea, with nitrapyrin, decreased leaf Mg content in 1978, but not in 1976, as compared with urea alone.     

Residual effects of sewage‐sludge application on plant and soil‐profile chemical composition

Abstract

Long‐term effects on plant and soil‐profile chemical composition imposed by a residential sewage sludge were studied on an Oxisol from Hawaii. Sludge was applied at 0, 45, 90, and 180 Mg/ha in 1983. An NPK‐fertilized treatment was included for comparison. Sudangrass (Sorghum bicolorL. Moench) was grown as a test crop in the 1983–84 and 1986–87 seasons. Soil samples for chemical analysis were taken in 1987 at three depths: 0–23 cm, 23–46 cm, and 46–69 cm.

Beneficial effects of sludge, measured 3 years after application (beginning of the 1986's planting), were evident by large yield increases on sludge‐amended soils relative to the unamended and the NPK‐fertilized soils. The first cutting produced approximately 5 Mg/ha of dry matter from the sludge treatments, regardless of rate, as compared with 3 and 1.5 Mg/ha from the NPK and the 0 treatments. Regrowths showed similar effect, though less dramatic; average yields were 2.6 Mg/ha with sludge and 1.6 Mg/ha without.

Heavy‐metal concentrations in plants were generally unaffected by sludge applications; probably because (i) heavy‐metal contents of the sludge were low, and (ii) soil pH was increased by sludge.

Remarkable increases in pH, exchangeable Ca and extractable P, and resultant decreases in exchangeable Al, in all three soil layers of sludge‐amended soils suggest that surface application of a low heavy‐metal sludge could serve to correct subsoil acidity and enhance subsoil P availability.     

Calcium,magnesium, and potassium uptake by crested wheatgrass grown on calcareous soils

Abstract

Forage intake with potassium/(calcium + magnesium) [K/(Mg + Ca)] values in excess of 2.2 are associated with grass tetany and Mg deficiencies in ruminants. This study was conducted to determine the degree to which forage K and Mg concentrations and K/(Ca + Mg) ratios could be predicted from soil bicarbonate (HCO₃) extractable phosphate‐phosphorus (PO₄‐P), and saturation extract Ca, Mg, K, sodium (Na), and nitrate‐nitrogen (NO₃‐N) concentrations. Crested wheatgrass (Agropyron spp) strains and cultivars representing four ploidy levels were grown in the greenhouse on eight calcareous soils with different saturation extract Ca, Mg, K and K/Mg ratios. The plants were harvested three times. Soil solution K/(Ca + Mg) and K/Mg ratios were the only measured soil parameters that showed a consistent correlation with plant K/(Ca + Mg) ratios. Bicarbonate extractable soil P was positively related to plant P and K uptake in the first harvest, but was not related in the second and third harvests nor was soil P related to plant Ca or Mg content. There was a tendency for the higher ploidy level entries to have higher plant K/(Ca + Mg) ratios. It was concluded that soil K/(Ca + Mg) ratios can be used to predict relative forage K/(Ca + Mg) ratios for grasses grown under similar conditions.     

Effect of dicyandiamide on growth and nutrient uptake of cotton

Abstract

The nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) offers potential for improving efficiency of N applications to cotton grown on sandy soils of the southeastern Coastal Plain. Research has indicated that cotton is sensitive to DCD. The purpose of this greenhouse experiment was to investigate the effect of DCD on growth and nutrient uptake of DPL 90 cotton grown for 73 days in pots containing a typical Coastal Plain soil (Norfolk sandy loam, Typic Paleudult). Nitrogen (50 mg kg^‐1) as NaNO₃ or urea, and DCD (0, 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20 mg kg^‐1) were applied to the soil at first true leaf and plants were harvested 58 days later. Sodium nitrate increased leaf dry weight and total dry weight of plants 9.1 and 6.0%, respectively, over urea fertilized plants. Leaf area, dryweight, and stem dry weight were reduced linearly with DCD. Fertilization with urea increased concentrations of leaf P, K, and Mn and reduced the concentration of Mg in leaf tissue. Dicyandiamide increased leaf N, P, and K concentrations but reduced concentrations of Ca, Mg, and Mn. Uptake rates (μg^‐1 g^‐1 fresh root day^‐1) of Ca and Mg were increased 7.5 and 13.7%, respectively, with NaNO₃ vs. urea, while P uptake rate was 15.5% greater for urea‐fertilized plants vs. NaNO₃‐fertilized plants. Dicyandiamide reduced Ca and Mg uptake rates. Phosphorus uptake rates were increased by DCD when urea was the N source. The effects of DCD on cotton growth and nutrient uptake generally resulted from the compound itself and were not an indirect result of nitrification inhibition. Although significant reductions in plant growth did not occur unless DCD exceeded that normally applied with recommended N rates on this soil, these results suggest a need for caution when applying DCD to cotton grown on sandy soils.     

Fractionation of residual cadmium,copper, nickel,lead, and zinc in previously sludge‐amended soil

Abstract

The fractionation of heavy metals in previously sludge‐amended soil is important to evaluate their behavior in the environment in terms of mobility and availability to crop plants. A surface soil that received two types of sludges at two different rates, plus fertilizer only and no treatment (control), having been fallow for nine years, was used in this study. The contents of cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) fractions in previously sludge‐amended soils were governed by the total content of these metals in the sludges applied and by the rate of sludge application. The contents of these metals were higher for soils that received the Chicago sludge as compared to that receiving the Huntsville sludge. Furthermore, soils that received 20 Mg/ha/yr of sludge for five years generally had higher levels of these metals than those receiving a single dose at the 100 Mg/ha application rate. The percentage of the total content in the water soluble and exchangeable forms was very low (≤1%) regardless of sludge application. The application of sludges tended to reduce the residual fraction and to increase the organic and carbonate fractions. Overall, the predominant forms of the metals in the sludges were as the Cd‐, Ni‐, Pb‐, and Zn‐carbonate and Cu‐organic fractions.     

Effects of potassium nutrition on the absorption of sodium,calcium, and magnesium by intact tomato plants

Abstract

Tomato plants (cv. VF145 B 7879) were grown in a greenhouse by the water culture technique with six levels of K nutrition. The absorptions of Na, Ca, and Mg were not affected greatly by the K nutritional status of the intact tomato plants, except when the plants were extremely K deficient. The rates of absorption by the intact plants were slow initially when the plants were small, and then increased rapidly as the growth rates increased.

At the onset of K deficiency, the rate of growth and water use by the tomato plant decreased. A linear function of water use and plant size was obtained, indicating that water use was a function of plant size and hence a function of the plant's nutritional status.

Waterlogging, simulated by aeration cut‐off of the culture solution for two days, had only a small effect on water use, but concurrently interrupted the absorption of K, Ca, and Mg.     

Doybean growth and composition as affected by K,Ca, and Mg rates and corn rotation

Abstract

Different rates of K, Ca, and Mg were applied to bulklots of Decatur clay loam (pH 5.8) which had been collected from an area under natural vegetation. Nitrogen and P were each applied at the rate of 100 ppm. Soybean (Glycine max L.) and corn (Zea mays L.) were planted to pots in four replications of each treatment. Plants were grown for 6 weeks and subsequently all the pots were re‐planted to soybeans. This crop rotation was repeated until six crops had been harvested from each pot.

Potassium fertilization did not affect soybean growth but increased the dry matter of corn plants. Calcium application affected the growth of neither crop, but Mg addition to the soil reduced the growth of both crops. The composition of the plants generally reflected the available amounts of each nutrient. Additionally, Mg consistently decreased K in soybeans but increased Mn in the two crops. The inclusion of corn in rotation with soybeans resulted in the following effects on the succeeding soybean harvests: more tolerance to high Mg, greater reduction of plant Ca and Mg caused by K application, and lower levels of available K and Ma in soils and soybeans. However, the greater rate of depletion of soil K and Mn under corn rotation did not appear Co affect the dry matter yields of the following soybean plants relative to the plants under the continuous soybean cropping system.     

Heavy metals in crops as affected by soil types and sewage sludge rates

Abstract

A municipal sewage sludge was applied at three application rates to three soils in field lysimeters to study the effects of soil and sludge application rate on cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) absorbed by ‘Larker’ barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and by Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L. ‘Cicla'). Sludge applied at 20, 40, and 100 Mg/ha oven‐dry equivalent were mixed into the top 0.15 m of soil in each lysimeter. In addition, a nil sludge rate (control) received 125 kg N/ha. Metal contents were relatively low in barley grain, higher in barley straw, and highest in Swiss chard. Metal contents in plants increased with increasing sludge loading. Most plants grown on soil amended with the higher sludge rates were too high in Cd (greater than 0.5 mg/kg of dry feed material) to be suitable for animal consumption. No plant materials tested exceeded the suggested maximum Zn, Cu, or Ni levels.     

Tomato growth and mineral composition as influenced by nitrogen form and light intensity

Abstract

Tomato plants were grown in sand culture with NH⁺ ₄, and NO^? ₃, forms of N and three levels of light. Plants supplied with NH⁺ ₄, nutrition under high light intensity had symptoms of stunting, leaf roll, wilting, interveinal chlorosis of the older leaves, and one third the dry weight of N0₃‐fed plants. In contrast, growth of plants receiving NH⁺ ₄, nutrition under shade appeared normal although dry weight was reduced. NH₄‐N nutrition suppressed K, Ca and Mg accumulation in tissues and increased P contents as compared to NO₃‐N nutrition.     

Maize growth and mineral acquisition on acid soil amended with flue gas desulfurization by‐products and magnesium

Abstract

The large amounts of coal combustion by‐products (CCBs) generated by coal burning power plants must be utilized or discarded, and beneficial use of these materials are desired. One beneficial use of CCBs could be application to agricultural land. Information about the use of one kind of CCB (flue gas desulfurization by‐product, FGD‐BP) on soil is limited. Maize (Zea mays L.) was grown (greenhouse) on an acid soil [Umbric Dystrochrept, pH_Ca (1:1, soil: 10 mM CaCl₂) 4.2] amended with two high CaSO₄ FGD‐BPs (5 and 15 g#lbkg^‐1 soil) and CaCQ₃ (2.5 and 5.0 g#lbkg^‐1 soil) at varied calcium/magnesium (Ca/Mg) equivalency ratios (0/0, 1/0, 1/0.01, 1/0.05, 1/0.1, and 1/0.5) to determine treatment effects on growth traits [shoot and root dry matter (DM) and total and specific root length (RL)], mineral concentrations in leaves, and soil pH and electrical conductivity [(EC) 1:1, soil:water]. Magnesium deficiency symptoms were induced on leaves of plants grown with and without low Mg, and the Mg to Ca ratio in each amendment needed to be about 1 to 20 to alleviate Mg deficiency. Shoot and root DM and total RL of plants grown with FGD‐BPs became higher as Mg increased. Specific RL (total RL/root DM, root fineness) was not affected by FGD‐BP and only slightly by Ca/Mg ratio. Shoot concentrations of Mg increased; Ca, phosphorus (P), and manganese (Mn) decreased; and potassium (K), sulfur (S), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) remained relatively constant as amendment and Mg increased. On unamended soil, aluminum (A1) and Mn concentrations in shoots were above normal. Enhancement of growth was closely related to increased soil pH compared to added Mg for CaCO₃ amended soil and to increased Mg compared to increased soil pH for FGD‐BP amended soil. Except at the highest level of Mg where soil pH increased, added FGD‐BPs and Mg had only limited effect on increasing soil pH. Soil EC increased from added FGD‐BPs but not from added Mg, and EC was not sufficiently high to be detrimental to plants. Maize grown on this acid soil amended with FGD‐BPs received benefits when caution was used to alleviate mineral deficiencies/toxicities inherent in the soil.     

Differential responses of soybean and dry bean to zinc deficiency 1

Whether a legume obtains its nitrogen (N) from the air, through dinitrogen fixation, or from the soil, as nitrate (NO₃), may influence its susceptibility to zinc (Zn) deficiency. The influence of N source [potassium nitrate (KNO₃)+ native soil N versus rhizobium‐inoculated seed + native soil N] and phosphorus (P) (0 and 200 mg P/kg), and Zn fertilizers (0, 1, and 8 mg Zn/kg) on growth and nutrient composition of soybean (Glycine max L. cv. McCall) and navy bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Seafarer) grown on a calcareous soil were studied under greenhouse conditions. Inoculated plants, but not their KNO₃‐treated counterparts, had root nodules. However, due to N deficiency resulting from suboptimal N fixation, growth of these inoculated plants, especially of navy bean, was poorer than that of similarly treated KNO₃‐fed plants. As a consequence of this restricted growth, responses to P and Zn fertilizers were generally greater in KNO₃‐treated plants. Added P decreased the yield of KNO₃‐treated navy bean in the absence of added Zn, but P‐induced Zn deficiency had little effect on the growth of similarly treated inoculated plants. Plant excess bases (EB)/total plant N ratios [EB = 1/2 Ca + l/2Mg + Na + K ‐ Cl ‐ total S (S = divalent) ‐ total P (P = monovalent)] were less in KNO₃‐treated soybean than in correspondingly treated navy bean. Therefore, rhizosphere pH values around navy bean roots were probably less than those around soybean roots. Despite the hypothesized lower rhizosphere pH values, KNO₃‐treated navy bean was more susceptible to Zn deficiency than soybean. This greater susceptibility of navy bean to Zn deficiency was apparently at least partly due to poor translocation of Zn from the roots to the tops.     

Phosphorus nutrition of white rose potato in relation to growth and minerals of leaf and root tissues

Abstract

White Rose potato plants (Solanum tuberosum, L.) were grown outdoors, without tuber formation, in a modified Hoagland's nutrient solution with 9 treatments of KH₂PO₄ ranging from 0 to 4.0 mmoles per liter. Deficiency symptoms ranged from very severe to none at harvest after 27 days of growth. Growth of the potato plants increased with increased P supply and was associated with an increased P content of the plant tissues. The critical H₂PO₄‐P concentration at a 10% reduction of top growth, based on a second leaf analysis, was about 1,000 ppm for the petiole and terminal bladelet and about 1,200 ppm for the lateral bladelet, dry weight basis.

Phosphorus nutrition had only a slight effect on the K, Na, Mg and NO₃‐N concentrations of the root tissues but Ca increased as phosphate increased which suggests a calcium phosphate precipitation. Phosphorus stress lowered the K, Na, Ca, Mg and NO₃‐N concentrations of the petiole tissues of the recently matured leaf which suggests that P increases salt accumulation. Phosphorus nutrition had only a slight effect on the concentrations of K, Na, Mg and Ca of the blade tissues of the recently matured leaf but NO₃‐N increased greatly with P supply.     

Phosphorus source,organic matter,and arbuscular mycorrhiza effects on growth and mineral acquisition of chickpea grown in acidic soil

Abstract

Plants grown in acidic soil usually require relatively high amounts of available phosphorus (P) to optimize growth and productivity, and sources of available P are often added to meet these requirements. Phosphorus may also be made available at relatively high rates in native soil when roots are colonized with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Addition of P to soil usually reduces root‐AMF colonization and decreases beneficial effects ofAMF to plants. In glasshouse experiments, soil treatments of P [0 P (Control), 50 mg soluble‐P kg^?1 as KH₂PO₄ (SP), and 200 mg P kg^?1 as phosphate rock (PR)], organic matter (OM) at 12.5 g kg^?1, AMF (Glomus darum), and various combinations of these (OM+SP, OM+PR, AMF+SP, AMF+PR, AMF+OM, AMF+OM+SP, and AMF+OM+PR) were added to steam treated acidic Lily soil (Typic Hapludult, pH_w=5.8) to determine treatment effects on growth and mineral acquisition by chickpea (Cicer areitinum L.). The various treatment applications increased shoot dry matter (DM) above the Control, but not root DM. Percentage AMF‐root colonization increased 2‐fold or more when mycorrhizal plants were grown with AMF, OM+SP, and OM+PR. Regardless of P source, plant acquisition of P, sulfur (S), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), and potassium (K) was enhanced compared to the Control, and mineral enhancement was greater in PR compared to SP plants. Mycorrhizal plants also had enhanced acquisition of macronutrients. OM+SP and OM+PR enhanced acquisition of P, K, and Mg, but not Ca. Concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cu, and Al were generally lower than Controls in SP, RP, AMF+PR, AMF+SP, and OM plants, and mycorrhizal plants especially had enhanced micronutrients. Relative agronomic effectiveness values for shoot DM and shoot P, Ca, and Mg contents were considerably higher for PR, including OM+PR, AMF+PR, and AMF+OM+PR, than for SP. PR and OM applications to AMF plants are low‐cost attractive and ecologically sound alternatives to intensive use of P fertilizers for crops grown in acidic soils.     

Sodium and potassium effects on cation concentration and yield of lucerne and phalaris grown separately and together

Abstract

Lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) and phalaris (Phalaris aquatica L.) were grown separately and together in a pot trial on a yellow‐brown pumice soil with three rates of sodium (Na) and two rates of potassium (K) in factorial combination. Lucerne alone had a low Na concentration but growing phalaris as a companion grass produced herbage with a Na concentration adequate for stock. Na application increased the Na concentration in phalaris and the mixture of phalaris and lucerne much more than in lucerne alone; had little effect on K concentration; slightly reduced Mg concentration; and greatly reduced Ca concentration but not as much in lucerne as in phalaris or the mixture with lucerne. K application increased K concentration and reduced Na, Ca and Mg concentrations throughout. Yield of phalaris grown alone and in combination with lucerne was increased significantly by Na application when K concentration in the plants was low. Yield of lucerne was not affected by Na application and it is concluded that Na did not substitute for K in this species. It is concluded that field trials are warranted to investigate the possibility of growing a special purpose mixture of lucerne and phalaris on New Zealand yellow‐brown pumice soils to provide feed that has adequate Na for grazing animals.