Summary
Genotypes of sorghum and millet have previously been found to have different amounts of root-associated acetylene reduction activity. Isotope dilution experiments using 15N have been carried out to evaluate the amount of nitrogen fixed by bacteria which is incorporated into the different genotypes when grown in vermiculite in the glasshouse. Isotope dilution result indicated that the content of shoot nitrogen derived from biological nitrogen fixation varied by up to 27% between sorghum genotypes and 17% between millet genotypes. Considerable isotope dilution also resulted from uptake of non-exchangeable-N (as NH +4 ) in the vermiculite. It is possible that the genotypic differences in isotope dilution may reflect differences in the ability of plants to take up non-exchangeable-N, and that vermiculite is therefore an unsuitable growth medium for such studies.
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© 1986 Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht
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Giller, K.E., Wani, S.P., Day, J.M. (1986). Use of isotope dilution to measure nitrogen fixation associated with the roots of sorghum and millet genotypes. In: Skinner, F.A., Uomala, P. (eds) Nitrogen Fixation with Non-Legumes. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 21. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4378-0_20
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4378-0_20
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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