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The improvement and utilization in forestry of nitrogen fixation by actinorhizal plants with special reference to Alnus in Scotland

  • Chapter
Nitrogen Fixation with Non-Legumes

Part of the book series: Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences ((DPSS,volume 21))

Summary

Alnus species are used widely in Britain for land reclamation, forestry and other purposes. Rapid juvenile growth of the American Alnus rubra makes it an attractive species for planting on N-deficient soils, particularly those of low organic content. In small plot trials, this species is nodulated by indigenous soil frankiae as effectively as Alnus glutinosa. Over a three year period both species return similar amounts of N to the ecosystem, estimated at up to 10–12 kg N ha-1. Several strains of Frankia have been isolated from local (Lennox Forest) A. rubra nodules. These differ morphologically and in their growth on different culture media, both from each other and from A. glutinosa nodule isolates. All Alnus isolates, however, have a total cellular fatty acid composition qualitatively similar to some other Group B frankiae. Glasshouse tests in N free culture suggest that A. rubra nodules formed after inoculation of seedlings with American spore (-) isolates are three times more effective in N fixation than those inoculated with Lennox A. rubra spore (+) nodule homogenates. By contrast, the early growth of seedlings inoculated with spore (-) Frankia strains suggests at best a 35% improvement in N fixing activity over seedlings inoculated with Lennox A. rubra nodule isolates. Nevertheless, this improvement in activity, together with the better performance of seedlings inoculated with isolates compared with those treated with crushed nodule preparations, suggest that it would be worthwhile commercially to inoculate nursery stock with a spore (-) Frankia strain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, The University, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK

    C. T. Wheeler, J. E. Hooker, A. Crowe & A. M. M. Berrie

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  1. C. T. Wheeler
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  2. J. E. Hooker
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  3. A. Crowe
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  4. A. M. M. Berrie
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Harpenden, Herts, UK

    F. A. Skinner

  2. SITRA, Helsinki, Finland

    P. Uomala

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© 1986 Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht

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Wheeler, C.T., Hooker, J.E., Crowe, A., Berrie, A.M.M. (1986). The improvement and utilization in forestry of nitrogen fixation by actinorhizal plants with special reference to Alnus in Scotland. 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_29

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4378-0_29

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-8446-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-4378-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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