Stepwise incorporation of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) as fertiliser increases nitrogen fixation and improves nitrogen retention when intercropped with leek (Allium porrum L.)

Background and aims We investigated whether the incorporation of intercropped white clover as a split-dose fertiliser improves N retention of the plant-soil system in leek production. Methods White clover and leek were grown in pots where clover was stepwise incorporated into soil as fertiliser. Hal...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plant and soil 2018-01, Vol.422 (1/2), p.541-554
Main Authors: Xie, Yue, Sorensen, Jorn Nygaard, Petersen, Karen Koefoed, Kristensen, Hanne Lakkenborg
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Clover
Competition
Ecology
Fertilizers
Growth rate
Incorporation
Interspecific
Leaching
Life Sciences
Nitrogen
Nitrogen fixation
Plant growth
Plant Physiology
Plant Sciences
Production methods
Regular Article
Retention
Soil investigations
Soil Science & Conservation
Soils
Studies
Transplantation
Trifolium repens
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background and aims We investigated whether the incorporation of intercropped white clover as a split-dose fertiliser improves N retention of the plant-soil system in leek production. Methods White clover and leek were grown in pots where clover was stepwise incorporated into soil as fertiliser. Half of the clover was incorporated before leek transplantation (LT), the other half was incorporated 26 (S1) or 41 (S2) days after LT, compared with full incorporation of all clover (F) before LT. 15N injection and leaching studies were performed to investigate interspecific competition and the effects of precipitation on soil N availability. Results Stepwise incorporations increased or had no effect on leek growth, despite competition for N between white clover and leek. Compared to F, leek grown with stepwise incorporations had similar and lower N accumulation before the second incorporation, but N was higher at the end of the experiment. N2 fixation by white clover increased the total N input into soil and matched N availability with leek N demand and growth rate. Loss of inorganic N by leaching was lowest in S2 and highest in F. Conclusions Stepwise incorporations of white clover improved N retention in the plant-soil system and could be used to increase leek yield.
ISSN:0032-079X
1573-5036
DOI:10.1007/s11104-017-3471-y