Summary
A practical fibreglass cylinder-plastic bag system has been designed for making acetylene reduction assays in the field. Thein situ assay was used to determine seasonal patterns of nitrogenase activity for the perennial forage legumesGalega orientalis, Trifolium pratense andMedicago sativa grown under stadard management in southern Filand (60° north). Nitrogenase activity was still detected in the field plots in November, when soil temperature was 1.5°C and air temperature 0.5°C. The acetylene reduction data from weekly measurements were analyzed for correlation with plant growth rate and short-term fluctuations of environmental factors. Generally, there was a good correlation between nitrogenase activity and plant growth rate. Residual fluctuations in activity were only correlated with environmental factors in one case. The nitrogenase activity ofM. sativa was dependent on air temperature in addition to growth rate. Thus, the nitrogen fixing systems in these forage legumes seem to be an integrated part of the plants, being fairly insensitive to short-term environmental changes.
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Dedicated to Prof. Helge Gyllenberg on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
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Lindström, K. Analysis of factors affectingin situ nitrogenase (C2H2) activity ofGalega orientalis, Trifolium pratense andMedicago sativa in temperate conditions. Plant Soil 79, 329–341 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02184326
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02184326