Abstract
Three-year old Douglas-fir trees were grown on a strongly acid sandy soil (pH-H2O 3.87), fertilized with three different sources of nitrogen (nitrate, ammonium, or both) at three levels of N-supply (10, 50, 100 mg kg−1). Rhizosphere pH was determined and calculations were done on the relative contribution of both ammonium and nitrate uptake to total N uptake, and on the H+ excretion by the roots.
With ammonium nutrition the rhizosphere pH was slightly lower than the bulk soil pH, without any relationship with N level. With nitrate or ammonium nitrate nutrition, the rhizosphere pH was slightly lower than the bulk soil pH at low levels of N supply, but at higher N-levels a shift to a more alkaline rhizosphere occurred with these N-sources.
Except with very low nitrate availability, the contribution of nitrate to total N uptake was higher than the nitrate fraction in N input. This may be caused by differences in preferred N source and in mobility of ammonium and nitrate in the soil. The calculated H+ excretion was in agreement with the pattern in rhizosphere pH measured. Values were similar to those commonly found for other species.
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Gijsman, A.J. Nitrogen nutrition of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) on strongly acid sandy soil. Plant Soil 126, 63–70 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00041369
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00041369