Summary
Native fixed ammonium nitrogen and fixation of added ammonium nitrogen were studied in soil profile samples of three Libyan soils. The availability of both forms of fixed ammonium N to barley seedlings was investigated using surface soil samples under pot culture.
All soils contained native fixed ammonium N which ranged from 9.26 to 10.36 mg/100 g soil. Fixation of added ammonium N was of the order of 5.10 mg/100 g for surface soils and 5.26 mg/100g for sub-surface soils. Fixation increased with profile depth.
It was found that 38 percent of the soil total fixed ammonium N and 70 percent of the soil KOBr extractable N were available to barley seedlings. An equation representing the uptake of N from these two sources was established and their contribution to plant content of N was calculated.
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Mohammed, I.H. Fixed ammonium in Libyan soils and its availability to barley seedlings. Plant Soil 53, 1–9 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02181873
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02181873