Journal
NUTRIENT CYCLING IN AGROECOSYSTEMS
Volume 84, Issue 1, Pages 49-58Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s10705-008-9225-8
Keywords
N-15; Glycine max; Guinean savannah; Leaf labelling; Legumes; Nitrogen; Rhizodeposition; Roots; Promiscuous soybean
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Funding
- Faculty of Life Sciences of the University of Copenhagen
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Nitrogen (N) rhizodeposition by grain legumes such as soybean is potentially a large but neglected source of N in cropping systems of Sub-Saharan Africa. Field studies were conducted to measure soybean N rhizodeposition in two environments of the Guinean savannah of Nigeria using N-15 leaf labelling techniques. The first site was located in Ibadan in the humid derived savannah. The second site was in Zaria in the drier Northern Guinean savannah. Soybean N rhizodeposition in the top 0.30 m of soil varied from 7.5 kg ha(-1) on a diseased crop in Ibadan to 33 kg ha(-1) in Zaria. More than two-thirds of soybean belowground N was contained in the rhizodeposits at crop physiological maturity, while the rest was found in the recoverable roots. Belowground plant-derived N was found to constitute 16-23% of the total soybean N. Taking rhizodeposited pools into account led to N budgets close to zero when all residues were removed. If residues were left in the field or recycled as manure after being fed to steers, soybean cultivation led to positive N budgets of up to +95 kg N ha(-1). The role and potential of grain legumes as N purveyors have been underestimated in the past by neglecting the N contained in their rhizodeposits.
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