The use of nitrogen-15 natural abundance in white clover (Trifolium repens L.) to determine nitrogen fixation under different management practices |
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Authors: | S. J. Kerley S. C. Jarvis |
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Affiliation: | (1) Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, North Wyke, Okehampton, Devon, EX20 2SB, UK, GB |
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Abstract: | The 15N natural abundance (δ15N) of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) grown in pasture under different management practices was determined. Plants were split into leaflets, petioles and stolons and the 15N signature of each tissue was measured. The δ15N of leaflet tissue from plants of two non-N2-fixing species (Lolium perenne L. and Ranunculus repens L.), growing in close proximity to the sampled T. repens, was also measured. By using T. repens plants grown in the absence of mineral N to provide reference material, the proportion of N derived from N2 fixation (%Ndfa) in pasture plants was calculated. Within a plot, variation was present in the δ15N between the tissues of T. repens. Variation was also present between the same tissues under different management practices. The %Ndfa in the leaf material of T. repens varied from 34% to 100% between the plots. The use of different reference species did not affect the estimate of %Ndfa. Received: 14 December 1998 |
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Keywords: | Nitrogen-15 natural abundance variability Plant tissues Grassland Sward management Dinitrogen fixation |
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