Abstract
A general equation is presented for the calculation of the utilization of nitrate and/or ammonium by plants growing on mixtures of the mineral nitrogen sources nitrate and ammonium. Data are required on total organic-anion content, organic nitrogen, and net hydrogen/hydroxyl-ion efflux, all expressed on a whole plant basis. Applied to nutrient-solution experiments, the derived equation proved to be valid for all harvests ofPlantago lanceolata andPlantago major during a growth period of 10 to 11 weeks. The successive harvests corresponded with several stages of ion uptake and ion utilization during the development of the plant, including a partial shortage of nutrients towards the end of the experiments (depletion of free NO3). For practical purposes the validity of this equation means that the respective contributions of NO3 and NH4 to the nitrogen nutrition of the plant or a vegetation can be estimated by analyzing the whole plant or the complete vegetation for total organic anions and organic nitrogen, provided one is able to quantify the pH shift in the rhizosphere of plants caused by the processes of ion uptake and ion utilization.
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