The acetylene reduction assay as a means of studying nitrogen fixation in white clover under sward and laboratory conditions

Abstract The acetylene reduction assay was used to follow seasonal changes in nitrogen fixation activity in a white clover‐perennial ryegrass ley in Northern Ireland. The annual estimate for fixation by the ley was 268 kg ha−1 (239 lb/acre) nitrogen virtually all of which was fixed during March to October. Nitrogen fixation was curtailed drastically after the ley was cut but recovered as new foliage expanded on the clover. Glasshouse experiments described the effects of temperature, shading and defoliation on nitrogen fixation by white clover, and indicated that these factors might be important in modifying symbiosis under field conditions.