ISSN:
1365-2494
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
Notes:
Ryegrass, some white clover cultivars (Grasslands Huia, Trifo, Barbian and Luclair) and lotus were grown in the presence of mineral nitrogen and at a range of phosphorus (P) supply. Ryegrass had the highest leaf inorganic P concentrations on a dry weight basis, and lotus the lowest. In the clovers and lotus shoot yield was correlated with inorganic P concentration; it was not correlated in ryegrass, although this was possibly a result of the stage of development of ryegrass when it was harvested. Ryegrass was always more efficient than the legumes in acquiring P and growing rapidly. When inorganic P concentration was expressed on the basis of DNA, lotus had concentrations intermediate between that of ryegrass and the clovers, i.e. lotus had at least as much inorganic P per unit of DNA as white clover. It is suggested that although lotus is more efficient than white clover in terms of the concentration of inorganic P on a dry weight basis, the amount of inorganic P required per ‘module of metabolism’ (or cell), is similar. Lotus also has larger cells than white clover and the relatively greater efficiency of lotus may lie at least partly in its ability to achieve an equivalent leaf area or weight with fewer cells, i.e. cytology contributes to efficiency.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2494.1991.tb02219.x
Permalink
