Abstract

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to measure nitrogen fixation in threeCrotalaria species : C. ochroleuca, C. perrottetii and C. retusa growing in Senegal by using ¹⁵N direct isotope dilution technique. Two non-fixing plants, Senna obtusifoliaand Senna occidentalis served as reference plants. The amount of nitrogen fixed two months after planting was obtained using the average of the two reference plants. The atom % ¹⁵N excess in the Crotalaria species was significantly lower than that of the reference plants, indicating that significant nitrogen fixation occurred in the three plants. Significant differences were observed between the Crotalaria species; C. ochroleucayielded more dry matter weight and total nitrogen than did C. perrottetti and C. retusa. The % nitrogen derived from atmosphere (%Ndfa) in leaves and stems was also higher in C. ochroleuca. There was no significant difference in %Ndfa in the whole plant between the three Crotalaria species (47% to 53%). In contrast, interspecific variability was observed based on the %Ndfa. C. ochroleuca significantly exhibited the higher amount of total nitrogen fixed, equivalent to 83 kg of nitrogen fixed per hectare. Based on these data, it was concluded that C. ochroleuca could be used in multiple cropping systems in Senegal for making more nitrogen available to other plants.

Key words: Crotalaria spp, isotope dilution, ¹⁵N, nitrogen fixation, reference plant.