Composition of Bleeding Sap in Vigna radiata

Bleeding sap and nodules from Vigna radiata were analysed for their free amino nitrogen content and amino acid composition at different stages of growth and development. The bleeding sap contained mostly basic amino acids, whereas the nodules contained both acidic and basic amino acids. The amino nitrogen content of the bleeding sap increased during growth and then declined appreciably during fruit development. In contrast, nodule amino nitrogen declined from seedling stage onwards till flowering, increased during fruit development and then declined again. Nitrate reductase activity in the leaves examined at different stages of development increased from seedling stage onwards and was maximum during early fruit-development stage. It declined during pod-filling stage. The study suggests that the amount of nitrogen fixed from the atmosphere is insufficient, so that the plant has to draw upon soil nitrogen as well. This may be necessary due to the high demand of nitrogen during pod filling.     

易分解有机碳对不同恢复年限森林土壤激发效应的影响

土壤有机碳库作为陆地生态系统最大的碳库,其微小的改变都将引起大气CO_2浓度的急剧改变。易分解有机碳的输入可以通过正/负激发效应加快/减缓土壤有机碳(SOC)的矿化,并最终影响土壤碳平衡。以长汀县不同恢复年限森林(裸地、5年、15年、30年马尾松林以及天然林)土壤为研究对象,通过室内培养向土壤中添加~(13)C标记葡萄糖研究易分解有机碳输入对不同恢复阶段森林土壤激发效应的影响。研究结果表明,易分解有机碳输入引起的土壤激发效应的方向和强度因不同恢复阶段而异。易分解有机碳输入的初期对各恢复阶段森林土壤均产生正的激发效应,然而随着时间的推移,15年、30年马尾松林以及天然林相继出现负的激发效应。从整个培养期(59 d)来看,易分解有机碳的输入促进了裸地与5年生马尾松林土壤有机碳的矿化,有机碳的矿化量分别提高了131%±27%与25%±5%;但是减缓了15年生马尾松林土壤有机碳的矿化,使其矿化量减少了10%±1%;然而,易分解有机碳输入对30年生马尾松林及天然林土壤有机碳的矿化则无明显影响。土壤累积激发碳量与葡萄糖添加前后土壤氮素的改变百分比呈显著正相关关系(R~2=0.44,P0.05),表明易分解有机碳输入诱导的土壤激发效应受土壤氮素可利用性的调控,土壤微生物需要通过分解原有土壤有机碳释放的氮素来满足自身的需求。     

Microbial activity and soil respiration under nitrogen addition in Alaskan boreal forest

Climate warming could increase rates of soil organic matter turnover and nutrient mineralization, particularly in northern high‐latitude ecosystems. However, the effects of increasing nutrient availability on microbial processes in these ecosystems are poorly understood. To determine how soil microbes respond to nutrient enrichment, we measured microbial biomass, extracellular enzyme activities, soil respiration, and the community composition of active fungi in nitrogen (N) fertilized soils of a boreal forest in central Alaska. We predicted that N addition would suppress fungal activity relative to bacteria, but stimulate carbon (C)‐degrading enzyme activities and soil respiration. Instead, we found no evidence for a suppression of fungal activity, although fungal sporocarp production declined significantly, and the relative abundance of two fungal taxa changed dramatically with N fertilization. Microbial biomass as measured by chloroform fumigation did not respond to fertilization, nor did the ratio of fungi : bacteria as measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. However, microbial biomass C : N ratios narrowed significantly from 16.0 ± 1.4 to 5.2 ± 0.3 with fertilization. N fertilization significantly increased the activity of a cellulose‐degrading enzyme and suppressed the activities of protein‐ and chitin‐degrading enzymes but had no effect on soil respiration rates or ¹⁴C signatures. These results indicate that N fertilization alters microbial community composition and allocation to extracellular enzyme production without affecting soil respiration. Thus, our results do not provide evidence for strong microbial feedbacks to the boreal C cycle under climate warming or N addition. However, organic N cycling may decline due to a reduction in the activity of enzymes that target nitrogenous compounds.     

THE PRODUCTION OF ANTIBIOTICS IN SOIL

Conditions affecting the production of gliotoxin by a strain of Trichoderma viride , known to produce this antibiotic in synthetic culture media, were studied in two types of soil, a highly acid, sandy podsol from Wareham Heath and a less acid garden soil. High yields of an antibiotic substance, which results from bioassays showed to be similar to gliotoxin, were obtained from both inoculated soils when autoclaved and supplemented with organic material. The autoclaved soils behaved differently when unsupplemented; Wareham soil supported production of the antibiotic but little or none was produced in the garden soil. No antibiotic activity could be demonstrated in soil which had not been inoculated with T. viride.
Acidification of unsupplemented garden soil by addition of sulphuric acid had a favourable effect on production of the antibiotic, but raising the pH of Wareham soil by addition of calcium hydroxide also increased the yield. These effects, therefore, cannot be due simply to the change in pH of the soil.
The beneficial effect of autoclaving the soil on production of the antibiotic assumed to be gliotoxin was analysed and separated into three distinct effects, elimination of the microflora, increase in availability of nitrogen compounds and increase in available carbon compounds. The last effect was considered to be of greatest significance.
The antibiotic was produced in normal Wareham soil if supplemented with additional carbon compounds, but not in garden soil unless this had also been acidified before inoculation. A chromatographic method of bioassay used in the later work gave more substantial evidence that the antibiotic produced in the soil was, in fact, gliotoxin.     

Microbial Utilization of Free and Clay-Bound Insecticidal Toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis and Their Retention of Insecticidal Activity after Incubation with Microbes

The insecticidal toxins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis subspp. kurstaki and tenebrionis were resistant when bound on clays, but not when free, to utilization by pure and mixed cultures of microbes as sources of carbon and carbon plus nitrogen, and their availability as a nitrogen source was reduced. The bound toxins retained insecticidal activity both before and after exposure to microbes or pronase. The insecticidal activity of the toxins persisted for 40 days (the longest time evaluated) in nonsterile soil continuously maintained at the -33-kPa water tension and room temperature, alternately air dried and rewetted to the -33-kPa water tension, or alternately frozen and thawed, although alternate drying and wetting reduced the activity.     

Response of Litter Decomposition to Simulated N Deposition in Disturbed, Rehabilitated and Mature Forests in Subtropical China

The response of decomposition of litter for the dominant tree species in disturbed (pine), rehabilitated (pine and broadleaf mixed) and mature (monsoon evergreen broadleaf) forests in subtropical China to simulated N deposition was studied to address the following hypothesis: (1) litter decomposition is faster in mature forest (high soil N availability) than in rehabilitated/disturbed forests (low soil N availability); (2) litter decomposition is stimulated by N addition in rehabilitated and disturbed forests due to their low soil N availability; (3) N addition has little effect on litter decomposition in mature forest due to its high soil N availability. The litterbag method (a total of 2880 litterbags) and N treatments: Control-no N addition, Low-N: −5 g N m⁻² y⁻¹, Medium-N: −10 g N m⁻² y⁻¹, and High-N: −15 g N m⁻² y⁻¹, were employed to evaluate decomposition_. Results indicated that mature forest, which has likely been N saturated due to both long-term high N deposition in the region and the age of the ecosystem, had the highest litter decomposition rate, and exhibited no significant positive and even some negative response to nitrogen additions. However, both disturbed and rehabilitated forests, which are still N limited due to previous land use history, exhibited slower litter decomposition rates with significant positive effects from nitrogen additions. These results suggest that litter decomposition and its responses to N addition in subtropical forests of China vary depending on the nitrogen status of the ecosystem.     

Nitrogen uptake and nitrogen use efficiency above and below ground along a topographic gradient of soil nitrogen availability

Nitrogen (N) uptake and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) are closely related through feedback mechanisms to soil N availability and N cycling in forested ecosystems. We investigated N uptake and NUE not only at the leaf, litterfall, and aboveground levels but also belowground and whole stand levels along a topographic gradient of soil N availability in a cool temperate deciduous forest in Japan. In this study, we addressed how whole stand level N uptake and NUE affect C and N cycling in forested ecosystems. At the leaf, litterfall, and aboveground levels, N uptake decreased and NUE increased with decreasing soil N availability. This pattern resulted from decreasing leaf N concentrations and increasing N resorption efficiencies as soil N availability declined. Low N concentrations in litterfall may have resulted in little soil N being available to plants, due to microbial immobilization. In contrast, when belowground components were included, N uptake and NUE were not correlated with soil N availability. This was mainly due to higher levels of fine root production when soil N availability was low. Higher fine root allocation can result in a high input of detritus to decomposer systems and, thus, contribute to accumulation of soil organic matter and immobilization by microbes, which may result in further soil N availability decline. Our results suggest that allocation to the fine root rather than whole stand level NUE is important for C and N cycling in forested ecosystems, as is the feedback mechanism in which litterfall level NUE shifts with changes in the N concentration of litterfall.     

食真菌线虫与真菌的相互作用及其对土壤氮素矿化的影响

采用悉生培养微缩体系,探讨了食真菌线虫(燕麦真滑刃线虫)与两种真菌(真菌Ⅰ：外皮毛霉和真菌Ⅱ：丛梗孢科的一种)间的相互作用及其对土壤氮素矿化的影响．结果表明,燕麦真滑刃线虫在取食两种真菌时表现为在真菌Ⅱ上的生长优于真菌Ⅰ,两个处理的线虫数达到显著差异．食真菌线虫对真菌的取食活动促进了真菌的增殖：接种真菌Ⅱ加线虫处理中真菌Ⅱ的数量是仅接种真菌Ⅱ处理的2．5～3．5倍,增幅在整个培养期基本稳定;而接种真菌Ⅰ加线虫处理中真菌Ⅰ的数量在培养前期(10d)是仅接种真菌Ⅰ处理的1．1～2．0倍。之后增幅达5．0～5．7倍．线虫和真菌的生长及增殖基本保持同步．食真菌线虫与真菌的相互作用显著提高了土壤铵态氮和矿质态氮含量,促进了土壤氮的矿化,其中线虫与真菌Ⅰ的相互作用对提高矿质态氮含量的贡献显著大于线虫与真菌Ⅱ的相互作用。     

Nodulation and nitrogen accretion response of Cercocarpus betuloides seedlings to phosphorus supplementation and water availability

Greenhouse experiments were conducted to assess the effect of phosphorus (P) supplementation and water availability on incidence of nodulation and nitrogen (N) fixation by Cercocarpus betuloides seedlings. Phosphorus supplementation resulted in a two-fold increase in shoot and total dry matter of seedlings grown in a P-deficient soil. Seedlings grown in P-supplemented soil supported a larger number (4.8 vs. 0.3) and fresh mass (0.179 vs. 0.009 g) of nodules than did controls. Nitrogenase activity (acetylene reduction), N concentration and N accretion were greater for seedlings grown in P-amended soil than for controls.Seedlings were grown at four soil water potentials –0.1, –0.2, –0.4, and –0.7 MPa for 214 days. Biomass production, nodulation, acetylene reduction activity and N accretion were greatest at –0.2 MPa and declined at higher and lower soil water potentials. Independently-measured dependent variables were highly correlated, suggesting that water availability was influencing a primary plant process, most likely photosynthesis, on which other plant processes are dependent.     

Reciprocal effects of litter from exotic and congeneric native plant species via soil nutrients

Invasive exotic plant species are often expected to benefit exclusively from legacy effects of their litter inputs on soil processes and nutrient availability. However, there are relatively few experimental tests determining how litter of exotic plants affects their own growth conditions compared to congeneric native plant species. Here, we test how the legacy of litter from three exotic plant species affects their own performance in comparison to their congeneric natives that co-occur in the invaded habitat. We also analyzed litter effects on soil processes. In all three comparisons, soil with litter from exotic plant species had the highest respiration rates. In two out of the three exotic-native species comparisons, soil with litter from exotic plant species had higher inorganic nitrogen concentrations than their native congener, which was likely due to higher initial litter quality of the exotics. When litter from an exotic plant species had a positive effect on itself, it also had a positive effect on its native congener. We conclude that exotic plant species develop a legacy effect in soil from the invaded range through their litter inputs. This litter legacy effect results in altered soil processes that can promote both the exotic plant species and their native congener.     

Effects of the nematofauna on microbial energy and matter transformation rates in European grassland soils

The effect of the nematofauna on the microbiology and soil nitrogen status was studied in 6 major European grassland types (Northern tundra (Abisko, Sweden), Atlantic heath (Otterburn, UK), wet grassland (Wageningen, Netherlands), semi-natural temperate grassland (Linden, Germany), East European steppe (Pusztaszer, Hungary) and Mediterranean garigue (Mt. Vermion, Greece). To extend the range of temperature and humidity experienced locally during the investigation period, soil microclimates were manipulated, and at each site 14 plots were established representing selected combinations of 6 temperature and 6 moisture levels. The investigated soils divided into two groups: mineral grassland soils that were precipitation fed (garigue, wet grassland, seminatural grassland, steppe), and wet organic soils that were groundwater fed (heath, tundra). Effects of the nematofauna on the microflora were found in the mineral soils, where correlations among nematode metabolic activity as calculated from a metabolic model, and microbial activity parameters as indicated by Biolog and ergosterol measurements, were significantly positive. Correlations with bacterial activity were stronger and more consistent. Microbial parameters, in turn, were significantly correlated with the size of the soil nitrogen pools NH4, NO3, and Norganic. Furthermore, model results suggested that there were remarkable direct effects of nematodes on soil nitrogen status. Calculated monthly nematode excretion contributed temporarily up to 27% of soluble soil nitrogen, depending on the site and the microclimate. No significant correlation among nematodes and microbial parameters, or nitrogen pools, were found in the wet organic soils. The data show that the nematofauna can under favourable conditions affect soil nitrogen status in mineral grassland soils both directly by excretion of N, and indirectly by regulating microbial activity. This suggests that the differences in nitrogen availability observed in such natural grasslands partly reflect differences in the activity of their indigenous nematofauna. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Elevated CO2 stimulates grassland soil respiration by increasing carbon inputs rather than by enhancing soil moisture

It is not clear whether the consistent positive effect of elevated CO₂ on soil respiration (soil carbon flux, SCF) results from increased plant and microbial activity due to (i) greater C availability through CO₂‐induced increases in C inputs or (ii) enhanced soil moisture via CO₂‐induced declines in stomatal conductance and plant water use. Global changes such as biodiversity loss or nitrogen (N) deposition may also affect these drivers, interacting with CO₂ to affect SCF. To determine the effects of these factors on SCF and elucidate the mechanism(s) behind the effect of elevated CO₂ on SCF, we measured SCF and soil moisture throughout a growing season in the Biodiversity, CO₂, and N (BioCON) experiment. Increasing diversity and N caused small declines in soil moisture. Diversity had inconsistent small effects on SCF through its effects on abiotic conditions, while N had a small positive effect that was unrelated to soil moisture. Elevated CO₂ had large consistent effects, increasing soil moisture by 26% and SCF by 45%. However, CO₂‐induced changes in soil moisture were weak drivers of SCF: CO₂ effects on SCF and soil moisture were uncorrelated, CO₂ effect size did not change with soil moisture, within‐day CO₂ effects via soil moisture were neutral or weakly negative, and the estimated effect of increased C availability was 14 times larger than that of increased soil moisture. Combined with previous BioCON results indicating elevated CO₂ increases C availability to plants and microbes, our results suggest that increased SCF is driven by CO₂‐induced increases in substrate availability. Our results provide further support for increased rates of belowground C cycling at elevated CO₂ and evidence that, unlike the response of productivity to elevated CO₂ in BioCON, the response of SCF is not strongly N limited. Thus, N limited grasslands are unlikely to act as a N sink under elevated CO₂.     

酸性矿山废水污染的水稻田土壤中重金属的微生物学效应

采样调查了广东大宝山地区受酸性采矿废水长期污染的亚热带水稻田的土壤理化性质 ,重金属 Cu、Pb、Zn、Cd的全量及其 DTPA浸提量 ,以及微生物生物量及其呼吸活性等指标。利用主成分和逐步回归分析了影响土壤重金属的有效性及其微生物学效应的因素。结果表明 :土壤高含硫 ,强酸性 ,有机碳、全氮较低 ,4种金属的全量普遍超标。DTPA可提取态金属含量较高 ,不仅与其全量呈显著正相关 ,而且与土壤酸度和粘粒含量正相关 ,和 Mn含量负相关。过量的金属显著降低了土壤微生物生物量 C、N、微生物商、生物量 N/全 N比 ,并抑制了微生物呼吸强度和对有机碳的矿化率 ,导致了土壤 C/N比的升高。同时 ,金属对微生物群落及生理代谢指标 ,如微生物生物量 C/N比和代谢商的影响不显著。 DTPA可提取态金属 ,特别是 DTPA- Cu是导致微生物生物量和活性指标变化的主要因素。以有机碳 (或全氮 )为基数的复合微生物指标降低了土壤性质差异造成的干扰 ,较单一指标更能准确指示微生物对金属胁迫的反应。土壤硫没有对金属有效性和微生物指标产生明显影响 ,但其氧化过程可能引起酸化和金属离子的释放     

The effect of soil moisture tension and nitrogen supply on nitrate reduction and accumulation in wheat seedlings

Summary The effect of soil moisture tension on nitrate reductase and on nitrate accumulation in wheat plants was studied. Nitrate reductase activity was inhibited when soil moisture tension was increased to about 3.0 bars associated with a drop in leaf relative water content to about 90 per cent. The decrease in nitrate reductase activity did not result in nitrate accumulation in short-term experiments (10 days) when plants were exposed to only 1–2 cycles of elevated soil moisture tensions. However, when the period of different moisture regimes was extended up to the flag-leaf stage, nitrate accumulated in stressed plants.Significant increase in plant nitrate concentration as a result of increased moisture tensions was only found at the high levels of added nitrogen. On the other hand, moisture tensions had no effect on the content of total nitrogen in wheat shoots, implying that nitrate reduction was rather limiting under stress conditions.An effect of soil moisture tension and nitrogen nutrition on dry matter production by wheat seedlings was also found in the long-term experiment. At the highest dose of soil nitrogen an increase in maximal soil moisture tension from 0.1 to 0.33 bars reduced plant growth; at intermediate nitrogen doses only tension higher than 2 bars reduced growth. Under complete nitrogen deficiency, plant dry matter production was very low and was not affected by soil moisture tensions.Contribution from the Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel. 1972 Series, No. 2185-E.Contribution from the Agricultural Research Organization, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel. 1972 Series, No. 2185-E.     

施加外源烯土元素对土壤中氮形态转化和有效性的影响

通过温室土培试验,测定了施加不同剂量农用稀土微肥（常乐）后不同采样时间的土壤有效N－NH^ 4-N,NO^-3,N含量和土壤脲酶活性,结果表明,当外源烯土施入量较大时,土壤有效N和NH^ 4-N含量明显降低,而土壤NO^-3的变化不显著,根据化学品安全性评价方法,实验确定外源稀土对土壤NH^ 4-N和有效N浓度影响的无观察效应浓度（NOEC）应为5mg.kg^-1风干土,实验观察到土壤NH^ 4-N含量的降低与土壤脲酶活性的抑制之间有较好的相关性（R^2=0.87),外源稀土对土壤N形态转化和有效性产生影响的主要原因之一,是外源稀土施放量较高时抑制了土壤脲酶参与下的氨化作用,土壤生态系统可以通过自适应过程进行自我调节,恢复N供给的能力。     

Assessment of soil nitrogen and phosphorous availability under elevated CO2 and N-fertilization in a short rotation poplar plantation

Photosynthetic stimulation by elevated [CO₂] is largely regulated by nitrogen and phosphorus availability in the soil. During a 6 year Free Air CO₂ Enrichment (FACE) experiment with poplar trees in two short rotations, inorganic forms of soil nitrogen, extractable phosphorus, microbial and total nitrogen were assessed. Moreover, in situ and potential nitrogen mineralization, as well as enzymatic activities, were determined as measures of nutrient cycling. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of elevated [CO₂] and fertilization on: (1) N mineralization and immobilization processes; (2) soil nutrient availability; and (3) soil enzyme activity, as an indication of microbial and plant nutrient acquisition activity. Independent of any treatment, total soil N increased by 23% in the plantation after 6 years due to afforestation. Nitrification was the main process influencing inorganic N availability in soil, while ammonification being null or even negative. Ammonium was mostly affected by microbial immobilization and positively related to total N and microbial biomass N. Elevated [CO₂] negatively influenced nitrification under unfertilised treatment by 44% and consequently nitrate availability by 30% on average. Microbial N immobilization was stimulated by [CO₂] enrichment and probably enhanced the transformation of large amounts of N into organic forms less accessible to plants. The significant enhancement of enzyme activities under elevated [CO₂] reflected an increase in nutrient acquisition activity in the soil, as well as an increase of fungal population. Nitrogen fertilization did not influence N availability and cycling, but acted as a negative feed-back on phosphorus availability under elevated CO₂.     

Nutrient resorption in tropical savanna forests and woodlands of central Brazil

Nutrient limitation in Brazilian savanna (known as cerrado) presumably causes trees to maximize nutrient resorption from senesced leaves to reduce their dependence on nutrient availability. To assess patterns between nutrient resorption and soil fertility, we measured community-level nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) concentrations in mature and senesced leaves and soil fertility in the upper 50 cm soil layer in structurally diverse cerrado ecosystems in the Cuiaba Basin (CB) and Pantanal (PAN) of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Foliar nutrient concentration data were used to estimate resorption efficiency and proficiency, and correlation was used to determine whether resorption efficiency and proficiency varied across soil fertility gradients. We found that N and P resorption proficiency (NRP and PRP, respectively) and P resorption efficiency (PRE) increased significantly as total soil N (NRP) and extractable P (PRP and PRE) declined. In contrast, K resorption efficiency (KRE) declined as soil sand content and bulk density increased, which was likely due to a reduction in soil water-holding capacity. Leaf N/P ratios indicate potential N limitation and/or N + P co-limitation for ecosystems in the PAN and P limitation and/or N + P co-limitation for ecosystems in the CB, while trends in leaf N/K ratios indicate possible K or K + P co-limitation for the CB only. Our results illustrate that cerrado forests and woodlands have highly variable nutrient resorption capacities that vary predictably across soil fertility or textural gradients and indicate that cerrado communities have flexible nutrient resorption that can reduce their dependence on soil nutrient availability.     

Insecticidal activity of essential oils from eleven Eucalyptus spp. and two hybrids: lethal and sublethal effects of their major components on Blattella germanica

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the fumigant activity of the essential oils from 11 species of the genus Eucalyptus and two of their hybrids on first instar of Blattella germanica L. The fumigant activity and repellence of the four major monoterpene components of these essential oils also were tested. Fumigant activity was evaluated by exposing nymphs to the vapors emitted by 50 microl of essential oil or monoterpene in a closed container. The lowest knockdown time 50% (KT50) values, expressed in minutes, were elicited by the essential oils of the Eucalyptus grandis X Eucalyptus tereticornis (57.9) hybrid, Eucalyptus sideroxylon A. Cunn (62.0), E. grandis X Eucalyptus camaldulensis (63.8) hybrid, Eucalyptus viminalis Labill (64.1), Eucalyptus dunnii Maiden (64.5), and Eucalyptus grandis (Hill) ex Maiden (68.7). The KT50 values for the remaining essential oils ranged between 74.5 (E. saligna Smith) and 161.4 min (E. tereticornis Smith). The essential oil from the hybrid E. grandis X E. tereticornis was 3.7 times less toxic than dichlorvos (positive control). The KT50 values of monoterpenes were 38.8 for alpha-pinene, 55.3 for 1,8-cineole, 175.6 for p-cymene, and 178.3 for gamma-terpinene. Alpha-pinene was 2.5 times less toxic than dichlorvos. There was a strong positive correlation between the fumigant activity of essential oils and their corresponding 1,8-cineole and alpha-pinene concentration. Repellency was quantified using a video tracking system. Two concentrations of monoterpenes were studied (7 and 70 microg/cm2). All compounds produced a light repellent effect but only when applied at 70 microg/cm2. In all cases, the repellent effect was less than that produced by the broad-spectrum insect repellent N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (positive control).     

Crop response to magnesium fertilization as affected by nitrogen supply

Background

Crop yield depends in large part on the availability and accessibility of nitrogen in the soil. For optimal yield, the soil nitrogen must be available at critical periods of crop development, and in a form that is accessible for plant uptake and use. Ancillary crop nutrients can alter the plant’s ability to access and utilize nitrogen. Therefore, crop fertilization with magnesium should focus on its effect on nitrogen management. This conceptual review aims to assess the present state of knowledge regarding the importance of magnesium in fulfilling both objectives.

Scope

The response to fertilizer magnesium of high-yielding wheat, maize, sugar beet and potato crops was evaluated using published and unpublished data on yield, yield components and nitrogen uptake. A simple, stepwise regression and path analysis was applied to explain the effect of fertilizer magnesium on yield and yield components.

Conclusions

The effect of soil or foliar applied magnesium on yield of crops was inconsistent due to (i) weather experienced during the growth season, (ii) rates of applied fertilizer nitrogen, and (iii) the (natural background levels of?) magnesium available in the soil. The yield increase due to magnesium application was related to the extra supply of nitrogen. In cereals, magnesium application resulted in a higher number of ears and/or thousand grain weight (TGW), stressing the magnesium-sensitive stages of yield formation. The increase of sugar beet yield was most pronounced in dry years. The main conclusion gleaned from the review underlines a positive effect of magnesium on nitrogen uptake efficiency. The optimal yield forming effect of fertilizer magnesium can generally occur under conditions of relatively low nitrogen supply (soil + fertilizer nitrogen), but high supply of magnesium. This phenomenon can best be described as “magnesium-induced nitrogen uptake”.