Summary
Symbiotic nitrogenase activity can be detected by measuring C2H4 in the soil atmosphere following injection of C2H2 into the root zone. This method was tested with soybeans in two soils and compared with the conventional assay of incubating excised roots with C2H2. Soil type had an influence on the excised root assay. In two soils, plant-to-plant variability was large in thein situ assay. The technique, therefore, could not distinguish the nitrogen fixing capability of soybean cultivars.
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References
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Glenister, R., Larue, T.A. Non-destructive estimate of nitrogenase activity (C2H2) of field-grown soybean. Plant Soil 96, 137–140 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02375003
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02375003