Hostname: page-component-84b7d79bbc-rnpqb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-08-01T08:43:22.988Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Leys and soil organic matter: II. The accumulation of nitrogen in soils under different leys

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

C. R. Clement
Affiliation:
The Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Berkshire
T. E. Williams
Affiliation:
The Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Berkshire

Extract

1. The nitrogen content of an arable soil to 15 cm depth, sown to a ryegrass/white clover sward increased on average by 0·005 % N each year.

2. Under a grass sward without clover and without fertilizer nitrogen, there was an increase of 0·017 % N in 3 yeais in the top 7·5 cm of soil; an annual addition of about 70 kg N/ha.

3. Including white clover in grass swards not receiving nitrogen fertilizer resulted in an increase over 3 years of 0·026% N to 7·5 cm depth in one experiment, and 0·014% N to 15 cm depth in another, an annual increment of 100–110 kg N/ha.

4. The increase was greater under ryegrass/white clover swards than under cocksfoot/white clover swards. A similar difference was found both in accumulation of organic carbon and in clover content. In an experiment comparing many different grasses it was not possible to distinguish differences in the level of soil nitrogen, after 4 years under grass, which could be ascribed to species or strains.

There was no significant effect of nitrogen fertilizer applied at rates of up to 314 kg N/ha per year for 3 consecutive years.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1967

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allison, F. E. (1955). The enigma of soil nitrogen balance sheets. Adv. Agron. 7, 213–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allison, F. E. (1966). The fate of nitrogen applied to soils. Adv. Agron. 18, 219–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
A.O.A.C. (1955). Methods of Analysis. Washington: Ass. Off. Agrie. Chem.Google Scholar
Bremner, J. M. (1949). Studies on soil organic matter. Part I. The chemical nature of soil organic nitrogen. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 39, 183–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clement, C. R. & Williams, T. E. (1962). An incubation technique for assessing the nitrogen status of soils newly ploughed from leys. J. Soil Sci. 13, 8291.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clement, C. R. &Williams, T. E. (1964). Leys and soil organic matter. I. The accumulation of organic carbon in soils under different leys. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 63, 377–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cornfield, A. H. (1957). Effect of 8-years fertilizer treatment on the ‘protein-nitrogen’ content of four cropped soils. J. Sci. Fd Agric. 8, 509—11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cowling, D. W. (1961). The effect of white clover and nitrogenous fertilizer on the production of a sward. I. Total annual production. J. Br. Grassld Soc. 16, 281–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cowling, D. W., Green, J. O. & Green, S. M. (1964). The effect of white clover and nitrogenous fertilizer on the production of a sward. III. Statistical interpretation of their relative contributions. J. Br. Grassld Soc. 19, 419–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grassland Research Institute (1956). Exp. Progr. no. 8, 30–1.Google Scholar
Greenland, D. J. (1958). Nitrate fluctuations in tropical soils. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 50, 8292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Joulie, H., (1882). On permanent and temporary meadows and pastures, and their functions in the economy of agricultural practice. Jl R. agric. Soc. 18, 195222.Google Scholar
Soil Survey of England and Wales (1941). Unpublished data from a survey of the Grassland Research Institute, Drayton, near Stratford-on-Avon.Google Scholar
Theron, J. J. (1951). The influence of plants on the mineralization of nitrogen and the maintenance of organic matter in the soil. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 41, 289–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vetter, H. (1966). Untitled paper presented in discussion. Proc. 1st gen. meet. Eur. Grassld Fed., Wageningen, pp. 4651.Google Scholar
Walker, T. W., Orchiston, H. D. &Adams, A. F. R. (1954). The nitrogen economy of grass legume associations. J. Br. Grassld Soc. 9, 249–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, T. E. & Clement, C. R. (1966). Accumulation and availability of nitrogen in soils under leys. Proc. 1st gen. meet. Eur. Grassld Fed., Wageningen, pp. 3945.Google Scholar
Williams, T. E., Clement, C. R. & Heard, A. J. (1960). Soil nitrogen status of leys and subsequent wheat yields. Proc. 8th int. Orassld Congr.pp. 237–41.Google Scholar
Wolton, K. M. (1955). The effect of sheep excreta and fertilizer treatments on the nutrient status of pasture soil. J. Br. Orassld Soc. 10, 240–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar