A study of soil nitrogen organic fractions and correlation with yield response of Sudan-sorghum hybrid grass on Quebec soils

Summary Acid-hydrolysable organic nitrogen fractions were determined before and after two crops of Sudan-sorghum hybrid grass grown in a growth chamber on twenty Quebec soils. The relationship between the organic nitrogen fractions and yield response to N fertilizer and N uptake was examined by correlation methods and compared with corresponding relations obtained using incubation and boiling water extraction methods as indices of soil N availability. Mean contributions to total N lost during growth of the two crops were: hydrolysable NH ₄ ⁺ -N−19%, amino acid N−16% and hexosamine N−2%. The amino acid N, hydrolysable NH ₄ ⁺ -N and total hydrolysable N were significantly correlated with percent yield, log percent yield decrement and N uptake. Better correlations were obtained with the incubation and boiling water extraction methods than with the organic-N fractions. Contribution from Department of Soil Science, Macdonald College of McGill University.