biologia plantarum

Biologia plantarum 11:347-355, 1969 | DOI: 10.1007/BF02921399

Study of the interactions between cereals with respect to the soil nitrate nitrogen

Hana Hrušková¹, F. Plhák¹

¹ Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Science, J. E. Purkyně University, Brno

The interactions between cereals-wheat, barley, rye and oats-in combined cultivation in mixtures of always two species in relation 1:1 in the initial phase of growth were studied. During thirty days' cultivation in pots the growth of the experimental plants in pure cultures and in mixtures and the changes of the nitrate nitrogen content of the soil in the experimental vessels were followed.
The experiments showed that all tested species of cereals interacted with each other during the growth in mixture. The growth changes began soon after sowing, were of a stimulating and inhibiting character and increased during the growth. An exception was the small reaction of oats to rye.
Decrease of the nitrate nitrogen content was determined in the soil of the experimental vessels during the cultivation of the plants. The changes of the nitrate nitrogen in the soil corresponded on the whole with the exception of the last phases of the experiments to the growth intensity of the experimental plants. No essential differences, either in the content or in the rate of the decrease of nitrate nitrogen, were found in the soil of control plants and in the soil of plant mixtures. Small differences which were manifested cannot be considered the primary cause of the mutual relations of cereals. The cause of the mutual relations may be attributed to allelopathic factors.

Received: September 17, 1968; Published: September 1, 1969  Show citation