The Direct Assimilation of Inorganic and Organic Forms of Nitrogen by Higher Plants

The results of all the experiments above described may be shortly summarised as follows. Nitrites have been shown by Molisch, M. Schultz, and by Perciabosco and Rosso to be assimilated by various plants from sufficiently dilute solutions. Perciabosco and Rosso found that plants supplied with nitrogen in this form contain higher percentages of nitrogen than with nitrates as source of nitrogen. This is also the case, as was already shown, when plants take up all, or most, of their nitrogen as ammonium salts. Experiments with other inorganic forms of nitrogen—amidosulphonic acid, hydroxylamine, hydrazine and azoimide—have all given negative results up to the present time. As regards organic compounds the majority have given negative if not uncertain results. The results in which at least 1 milligram of nitrogen was assimilated are set out in Table I, p. 291.