Abstract
Ferric ethylenediamine di-(o-hydroxyphenylacetate) (FeEDDHA) and ferric hydroxyethylethylenediaminetriacetic acid (FeHEDTA) were evaluated as Fe sources for hydroponic growth of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L., cv. Mesilla), either dependent on N2 fixation or supplied with NO3. The hydroponic medium was maintained at pH 7.5 by addition of CaCO3. Nitrogen-fixing cultures were inoculated with Rhizobium meliloti 102 F51 and grown in medium without added nitrogen. After five to seven weeks of growth under greenhouse conditions, plants were harvested. Nitrogen fixation was measured by the acetylene reduction method.
When FeEDDHA was supplied, growth of alfalfa, whether dependent on N2 fixation or supplied with NO3, was severely limited at concentrations typically used in hydroponic medium (10 or 20 μM). Maximum yield of NO3-supplied alfalfa was obtained at 100 μM while maximum yield of N2-fixing alfalfa was obtained in the range of 33 to 200 μM FeEDDHA. Nodule fresh weights and N2 fixation rates increased with FeEDDHA concentration up to 33 μM and remained essentially constant up to 200 μM. With FeHEDTA, maximum yields of both NO3-grown and N2-fixing alfalfa were obtained at 10 μM. Growth of NO3-supplied plants was inhibited at 200 μM FeHEDTA while growth of N2-fixing plants was inhibited at 100 μM FeHEDTA. The numbers of nodules per plant increased between 3.3 and 10 μM FeHEDTA; however, inhibition of nodule formation occurred at a concentration of 33 μM or higher. Nodule weights per plant and N2 fixation rates were depressed at 3.3 μM as well as at 100 μM FeHEDTA. The results suggest that alfalfa dependent on N2 fixation is more sensitive to limited Fe availability than alfalfa supplied with NO3.
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© 1991 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Johnson, G.V., Youngblood, G.J. (1991). Responses of nitrogen-fixing and nitrate-supplied alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) to iron chelates in an alkaline hydroponic medium. In: Chen, Y., Hadar, Y. (eds) Iron Nutrition and Interactions in Plants. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 43. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3294-7_31
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3294-7_31
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