Nitrogen Concentration in the Major Grasses of the Derived and Guinea Savanna Zones of Nigeria in Relation to Season and Site

The concentration of total Kjeldahl N in above- and below-ground grass samples was monitored at five Nigerian savanna sites over 3 years. Significant variation, even in the same species, was found from plot to plot, with the highest concentrations in the samples from early-burnt Derived savanna and...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Isichei, Augustine O.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: 2014
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Online Access:http://localhost:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/3344
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Summary:The concentration of total Kjeldahl N in above- and below-ground grass samples was monitored at five Nigerian savanna sites over 3 years. Significant variation, even in the same species, was found from plot to plot, with the highest concentrations in the samples from early-burnt Derived savanna and the lowest from northern Guinea samples. This may be related to soil N concentrations as a significant positive relationship was found between soil and plant concentrations. Nitrogen concentration in above-ground grass biomass declined almost exponentially from flushing through the dry season, whereas below-ground N concentration increased with the approach of the dry season. Two shade-favouring grasses, Andropogon tectorum and Beckeropsis uniseto were found to have the highest N concentrations above-ground.