Nitrogen fixation by the woody legumeLeucaena leucocephala in Tanzania |
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Authors: | Peter Högberg Marie Kvarnström |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Forest Site Research, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, S-901 83 Umeå, Sweden;(2) Institute of Physiological Botany, University of Uppsala, P.O. Box 540, S-751 21 Uppsala, Sweden |
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Abstract: | Summary The nitrogen fixation rate in a 4-year-old stand of the woody legumeLeucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit. was estimated in the field at a rather dry site in Tanzania by use of an acetylene reduction technique. The diurnal mean value during April–May was 35 nmol C2H4 mg–1 (dry weight) nodules h–1, with a variation between 22±8 and 48±12 nmol C2H4 mg–1 (dry weight) nodules h–1 in early morning and at midday, respectively. The nodule biomass was determined by auger sampling to be 51±16 kg (dry weight) ha–1. Most of the nodules were found at the 10–30 cm soil depth level. A rough calculation of the amount of nitrogen fixed annually arrived at 110±30 kg ha–1. The results give strong support for the use ofL. leucocephala for soil enrichment in less humid areas of tropical Africa. |
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Keywords: | Agro-forestry Acetylene reduction Leucaena leucocephala Nematode root knots Nitrogen fixation Nodule biomass Woody legume |
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