Experimental Investigations into the Mineral Nutrition of Several Grass Species: IV. Nitrogen Level

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Abstract
The reaction of seven grass species to variations to nitrate N was studied in sand culture. The species showed very marked differences in yield response. Lolium perenne and Agrostis stolonifera showed the greatest response and yielded most at the highest level used (243 ppm N). A. tenuis showed a response similar to that of L. perenne at low N levels but was significantly less responsive at high levels; there was, however, a significant difference between the response of lead resistant and normal populations of A. tenuis. The response of Cynosurus cristatus and Festuca ovina was significantly less than the above species at low N levels and both species were adversely affected by the highest level. A. canina was very responsive to N at the lower levels but failed to respond to N above 27 ppm N. Nardus stricta responded only weakly to to 27 ppm N and showed a very strong depression of yield above this level. The response of the various species to N in sand culture shows a considerable measure of agreement with determinations of N response made by other investigators in fertilizer trials and in studies of the correlation between species distribution and soil N levels in permanent pastures. It is concluded that variation in soil N levels is probably an important factor determining the distribution of plant species under natural conditions.

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