Abstract
Studies were conducted on paddy soils to ascertain N2 fixation, growth, and N supplying ability of some green-manure crops and grain legumes. In a 60-day pot trial, sunhemp (Crotalaria juncia) produced a significantly higher dry matter content and N yield than Sesbania sesban, S. rostrata, cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata), and blackgram (V. mungo), deriving 91% of its N content from the atmosphere. Dry matter production and N yield by the legumes were significantly correlated with the quantity of N2 fixed. In a lowland field study involving sunhemp, blackgram, cowpeas, and mungbean, the former produced the highest stover yield and the stover N content, accumulating 160–250 kg N ha-1 in 60 days, and showed great promise as a biofertilizer for rice. The grain legumes showed good adaptability to rice-based cropping systems and produced a seed yield of 1125–2080 kg ha-1, depending on the location, species, and cultivar. Significant inter- and intraspecific differences in the stover N content were evident among the grain legumes, with blackgram having the highest N (104–155 kg N ha-1). In a trial on sequential cropping, the groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) showed a significantly higher N2 fixation and residual N effect on the succeeding rice crop than cowpeas, blackgram, mungbeans (V. radiata), and pigeonpeas (Cajanus cajan). The growth and N yield of the rice crop were positively correlated with the quantity of N2 fixed by the preceding legume crop.
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Senaratne, R., Ratnasinghe, D.S. Nitrogen fixation and beneficial effects of some grain legumes and green-manure crops on rice. Biol Fertil Soils 19, 49–54 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00336346
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00336346