| Abstract: | Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) S22, grown in a greenhouse in phosphorus-deficient soil in pots was given 40 and 160 mg N/kg of soil (as ammonium nitrate) and 5, 25 and 100 mg P/kg of soil (as calcium tetrahydrogen diorthophosphate). Giving more nitrogen increased yields only when adequate phosphorus was applied. A significant response to added phosphorus was obtained when ryegrass dry matter contained about 0.15% P or less. Nitrogen increased the amount of sugars but decreased that of fructosan. Phosphorus increased the production of both sugars and fructosan. Protein N (expressed as a percentage of total N) increased with increasing amounts of phosphorus given. The largest values for protein N were obtained when grass contained about 0.3 % P in the dry matter. In phosphorus-deficient grass nitrate-N accumulated and the predominant compounds within the free amino acid fraction were asparagine and glutamine. Adding phosphorus decreased the concentrations of both nitrate-N and the amides. The amino acid composition of the grass protein was not affected by the nitrogen and phosphorus treatments. |
