Nitrogen fixation and transfer in grass-clover leys under organic and conventional cropping systems

Symbiotic dinitrogen (N-2) fixation is the most important external N source in organic systems. Our objective was to compare symbiotic N-2 fixation of clover grown in organically and conventionally cropped grass-clover leys, while taking into account nutrient supply gradients. We studied leys of a 30-year-old field experiment over 2 years in order to compare organic and conventional systems at two fertilization levels. Using N-15 natural abundance methods, we determined the proportion of N derived from the atmosphere (PNdfa), the amount of Ndfa (ANdfa), and the transfer of clover N to grasses for both red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) and white clover (Trifolium repens L.). In all treatments and both years, PNdfa was high (83 to 91 %), indicating that the N-2 fixation process is not constrained, even not in the strongly nutrient deficient non-fertilized control treatment. Annual ANdfa in harvested clover biomass ranged from 6 to 16 g N m(-2). At typical fertilizer input levels, lower sward yield in organic than those in conventional treatments had no effect on ANdfa because of organic treatments had greater clover proportions. In two-year-old leys, on average, 51 % of N taken up by grasses was transferred from clover. Both, organically and conventionally cropped grass-clover leys profited from symbiotic N-2 fixation, with high PNdfa, and important transfer of clover N to grasses, provided sufficient potassium- and phosphorus-availability to sustain clover biomass production.