Summary
A system for employing open-ended root chambers to measurein situ acetylene reduction rates under field conditions is described. Gas mixtures containing about 2 mbar acetylene were continuously flowed through the chambers providing a continuous record of acetylene reduction. These chambers have been used to measure acetylene reduction rates of soybeans during three growing seasons. The system has proved to be reliable with a high degree of precision. The large amount of plant-to-plant variability observed in N2 fixation research has been confirmed by the data collected with this system. However, such variability in physiological studies can be reduced by using a non-destructive system to compare the response of an individual plant with its rates before treatment.
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Denison, R.F., Sinclair, T.R., Zobel, R.W. et al. A non-destructive field assay for soybean nitrogen fixation by acetylene reduction. Plant Soil 70, 173–182 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02374778
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02374778