Nitrogen Transfer from Forage Legumes to Grass in a Systematic Planting Design1

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is the most important forage legume in the USA, but N transfer from this or other perennial forage species to companion grasses growing in a mixed sward is poorly understood. Furthermore, interplant distances and legume/grass ratios have seldom been controlled in studies of N transfer from legumes to non‐legumes. The objectives of this field study were: (i) to determine the amount of N transferred from alfalfa and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) to reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.); (ii) to define conditions of distance and species ratio under which N transfer occurs; (iii) to compare the two legumes for N transfer; and (iv) to determine the effect of grass proximity on legume N2 fixation. Legumes were interplanted with grass in single‐species rows within 1‐m2 plots on a Typic Hapludoll soil labeled with 15N. Analysis of herbage showed significantly lower 15N concentration in grass near legumes than in grass grown alone, and significantly lower 15N concentration in legumes near grass than legumes in monoculture. Calculations using isotope dilution methods showed that grass derived a maximum of 68% of its N from alfalfa and 79% from trefoil. This N represented 13% of the N2 fixed by trefoil and 17% of that fixed by alfalfa. The results indicated that N transfer occurred over a distance of 20 cm with maximum N transfer in areas of high legume/grass ratio. At third harvest, N derived from symbiosis was significantly higher (95% in alfalfa, 92% in trefoil) for legumes grown in mixture with grass than for legumes grown in monoculture (86% in alfalfa, 80% in trefoil). These results indicate that significant N transfer occurred, and that the amount of N transferred was dependent on interspecies distance and legume/grass ratio.