Bi-directional transfer of nitrogen between alfalfa and bromegrass: Short and long term evidence |
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Authors: | Gilberto O Tomm Chris van Kessel Alfred E Slinkard |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Crop Science and Plant Ecology, University of Saskatchewan, S7N 0W0 Saskatoon, SK., Canada;(2) Department of Soil Science, University of Saskatchewan, S7N 0W0 Saskatoon, SK., Canada |
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Abstract: | Transfer of N from legumes to associated non-legumes has been demonstrated under a wide range of conditions. Because legumes
are able to derive their N requirements from N2 fixation, legumes can serve, through the transfer of N, as a source of N for accompanying non-legumes. Studies, therefore,
are often limited to the transfer of N from the legume to the non-legume. However, legumes preferentially rely on available
soil N as their source of N. To determine whether N can be transferred from a non-legume to a legume, two greenhouse experiments
were conducted. In the short-term N-transfer experiment, a portion of the foliage of meadow bromegrass (Bromus riparius Rhem.) or alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) was immersed in a highly labelled 15N-solution and following a 64 h incubation, the roots and leaves of the associated alfalfa and bromegrass were analyzed for
15N. In the long-term N transfer experiment, alfalfa and bromegrass were grown in an 15N-labelled nutrient solution and transplanted in pots with unlabelled bromegrass and alfalfa plants. Plants were harvested
at 50 and 79 d after transplanting and analyzed for 15N content. Whether alfalfa or bromegrass were the donor plants in the short-term experiment, roots and leaves of all neighbouring
alfalfa and bromegrass plants were enriched with 15N. Similarly, when alfalfa or bromegrass was labelled in the long-term experiment, the roots and shoots of neighbouring alfalfa
and bromegrass plants became enriched with 15N. These two studies conclusively show that within a short period of time, N is transferred from both the N2-fixing legume to the associated non-legume and also from the non-legume to the N2-fixing legume. The occurrence of a bi-directional N transfer between N2-fixing and non-N2-fixing plants should be taken into consideration when the intensity of N cycling and the directional flow of N in pastures
and natural ecosystems are investigated. |
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Keywords: | alfalfa bi-directional N transfer bromegrass long-term N transfer short-term N transfer 15N |
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