N2-Fixation, nodule efficiency and biomass accumulation after two years in three Chilean legume trees and Tagasaste Chamaecytisus proliferus subsp. palmensis

Abstract

Initial results of a long-term field experiment are presented for the above and below-ground biomass accumulation after two years, as well as root nodulation, nodule efficiency (g N fixed/g nodules) and biological N2 fixation (using the 15N isotope dilution method) of four N2-fixing tree species (NFTs) grown in the subhumid mediterranean-climate zone of central Chile. Two non-legume tree species, Fraxinus excelsior and Schinus polygamus, were used as reference plants for the isotope dilution calculations.