Summary
The nitrogen fixation rate in a 4-year-old stand of the woody legumeLeucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit. was estimated in the field at a rather dry site in Tanzania by use of an acetylene reduction technique. The diurnal mean value during April–May was 35 nmol C2H4 mg−1 (dry weight) nodules h−1, with a variation between 22±8 and 48±12 nmol C2H4 mg−1 (dry weight) nodules h−1 in early morning and at midday, respectively. The nodule biomass was determined by auger sampling to be 51±16 kg (dry weight) ha−1. Most of the nodules were found at the 10–30 cm soil depth level. A rough calculation of the amount of nitrogen fixed annually arrived at 110±30 kg ha−1. The results give strong support for the use ofL. leucocephala for soil enrichment in less humid areas of tropical Africa.
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Högberg, P., Kvarnström, M. Nitrogen fixation by the woody legumeLeucaena leucocephala in Tanzania. Plant Soil 66, 21–28 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02203398
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02203398