Summary
Blue-green algal (Nostoc muscorum) or bryophyte (Barbula recurvirostra) growth on the surface of a brown earth silt loam contained in flooded columns significantly increased soil C (+20.9% and ±23.0%, respectively) and soil N (+25.1% and +9.6%, respectively) after 5 weeks in the surface 0.7-cm soil layer. Differences in the lower layers were not significant since there was no movement of C or N metabolites down the profile, even after 21 weeks. The input of C by the inoculated blue-green algae was estimated at 0.48 Mg C 100-1 g soil or 0.45g C ha-1; the bryophyte growth gave 0.5 Mg C ha-1. N fixation by the blue-green algae alone was estimated at 60 kg N ha-1 after 5 weeks of growth. Blue-green algae associated with bryophyte growth had fixed 23 kg N ha-1 after 5 weeks, rising to 40 kg ha-1 after 21 weeks. Decomposition of the bryophyte biomass led to a significant increase in the dry weight (+16.8%) and the N uptake (+27.5%) of spring oil-seed rape planted in homogenised soil. In contrast, soil incorporation of the blue-green algal biomass had no significant effect on yield. The equivalent mineralized N from the blue-green algal and bryophyte incorporation was estimated as 24 and 58 kg N ha-1, respectively.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bisoyi RN, Singh PK (1988) Effect of phosphorus fertilization on bluegreen algal inoculum production and nitrogen yield under field conditions. Biol Fertil Soils 5:338–343
Clymo RS (1970) The growth of Sphagnum: Methods of measurement. J Ecol 58:13–49
Fogg GE, Stewart WDP, Fay P, Walsby AE (1973) Blue-green algae. Academic Press, London New York
Fuller WH, Rogers RN (1952) Utilization of the phosphorus of algal cells as measured by the Neubauer technique. Soil Sci 74:417–430
Gollerbach MM, Novichkova LA, Sdubrikova NV (1956) The algae of takyrs. In: Takyrs of Western Turkmenia and routes of their agricultural conquest. Iz Akad Nauk SSSR, Moscow, pp 22–29
Granhall U (1975) Nitrogen fixation by blue-green algae in temperate soils. In: Stewart WDP (ed) Nitrogen fixation by free living microorganisms. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 189–197
Henricksson E (1971) Algal nitrogen fixation in temperate regions. Plant Soil Special Vol 415–419
Hesse PR (1971) A textbook of soil chemical analysis. John Murray, London
Pakarinen P, Vitt MDH (1973) Primary production of plant communities of the Truelove lowland, Devon Island, Canada: Moss Communities. In: Bliss LC, Wielgolaski FE (eds) Primary production and production processes, tundra biome. International Biological Programme, Tundra Biome Steering Committee, Edmonton Oslo, pp 37–46
Prasad S (1949) Nitrogen recuperation by blue-green algae in soils of Bihar and their growth on different types. J Proc Inst Chem India 21:135–140
Rao DLN, Burns RG (1990) The effect of surface growth of blue-green algae and bryophytes on some microbiological, biochemical, and physical soil properties. Biol Fertil Soils 9:239–244
Roger PA, Kulasooriya SA (1980) Blue green algae and rice. The International Rice Research Institute, Los Baños, Philippines
Roger PA, Tirol A, Ardales S, Watanabe I (1986) Chemical composition of cultures and natural samples of N2-fixing blue-green algae from rice fields. Biol Fertil Soils 2:131–146
Singh RN (1961) The role of blue-green algae in nitrogen economy of Indian agriculture. Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi
Stewart WDP (1967) Transfer of biologically fixed nitrogen in a sand dune slack region. Nature (London) 214:603–604
Tirol AC, Roger PA, Watanabe I (1982) Fate of nitrogen from a blue green algae in a flooded rice soil. Soil Sci Plant Nutr 28:559–570
Venkataraman GS (1975) The role of blue-green algae in tropical rice cultivation. In: Stewart WDP (ed) Nitrogen fixation by free living microorganisms. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 207–218
Watanabe I (1978) Biological nitrogen fixation in rice soils. In: Soils and Rice. International Rice Research Institute, Los Baños, Philippines, pp 465–478
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rao, D.L.N., Burns, R.G. Use of blue-green algae and bryophyte biomass as a source of nitrogen for oil-seed rape. Biol Fertil Soils 10, 61–64 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00336126
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00336126