Susceptibility of Grasses to Manganese Deficiency

Abstract

FROM the literature it would appear that the manganese requirements of the different species of grasses has received but scant attention. In general1, it is considered that grass is much less susceptible to manganese deficiency-disease than oats and some other crops. That such a generalization is not possible has been shown by a study during the past two years of the comparative sensitivity of various species of grasses. For this purpose, a number of different species of the commoner grasses were grown in a soil-sand mixture in opaque glass pots, the experiment in every detail being conducted in a manner similar to that in which an investigation into the susceptibility of cereal varieties to manganese deficiency had previously been made by Gallagher and Walsh2. One experiment was started in 1943 and continued into the following year, the grass herbage being harvested in the autumn. In a further investigation arising out of this experiment, the comparative reaction of some different strains of cocksfoot was examined in 1944. In this experiment a soil growing an oat crop showing 'grey speck', mixed with its own volume of washed silica sand, was used.