The Carbohydrate Requirements for Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation: A "Whole-Plant" Growth Analysis Approach

Abstract

An examination was made of the carbohydrate requirements for the establishment and function of the legume-root nodule symbiosis in Trifolium subterraneum L. The method adopted involved the use of relative growth rates in order to minimize the effect of time and initial differences in plant size. Essential factors in this approach were (i) that the nodulated plants and ammonium nitrate-supplied control plants assimilated nitrogen at the same relative rate, and (ii) that both sets of plants has similar initial photosynthetic capacity.