Large saline lakes of former USSR: a summary review

Shoot biomass and nitrogen, accumulated within above-ground plant biomass in autumn, correlate with nitrogen availability indicated by nitrogen content (% DM) of several shoot parts during the height of the growth period.A higher nitrogen percentage of the shoots is correlated with a higher shoot loss and subsequent substitution by branching and tillering during and continuing toward the end of the growth period. A delayed switch from the vegetative to the generative phase reduces the translocation of reserve material to the rhizome. Increasing nitrogen load is at least one of the factors causing instability and reed-belt decline.