Thesis
Faba bean growth response to soil temperature and nitrogen
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
2011
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/102118
Abstract
The Palouse is known for dryland wheat production. Limited rainfall combined with a Mediterranean distribution pattern limit what can be grown successfully. Fall planted faba bean is grown commercially in Mediterranean climates where cold temperatures are not limiting as well as in colder regions of Northern Europe where excess moisture is more limiting than drought. A variety trial for fall planted faba beans including 43 genotypes from the National Plant Germplasm System and 12 cultivars and breeding lines previously identified as winter-hardy in European trials identified 13 genotypes as winter-hardy with high yield potential Frost resistance in leaf tissue was found to correlate significantly to both plant survival and seed yield, but low R2 values indicated winter-hardiness required additional stress tolerances. Comparative soil temperature minimums between site-years were found to better correlate to plant survival than ambient temperature minimums frost resistance in root tissue may be an important genetic factor contributing to winter-hardiness. Faba beans are known to have a high capacity to fix nitrogen (N) over a wide range of climates and growing conditions. Tolerance to available soil nitrate may play a role in greater rates of N2 fixation. A growth chamber investigation of nodulation response to nitrate-N revealed that while pea (Pisum sativum) showed a negative response in nodule number to increasing soil nitrate-N up to 132ppm at planting, faba bean (Vicia faba L.) did not. At low levels of soil nitrate-N, less than 15 ppm, nodules for both pea and faba bean appeared greater in size and pink in color when compared to nodules formed at soil nitrate-N above 45ppm. Further work comparing tolerance to nitrate-N for overall N2 fixation should target nodule growth and active fixation subjected to soil nitrate-N ranging from 10 to 50 ppm with growing conditions supporting long term nodule growth. This research supports that nodulation in faba bean does show superior tolerance to soil nitrate-N.
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Details
- Title
- Faba bean growth response to soil temperature and nitrogen
- Creators
- Jolene Elise Mwengi
- Contributors
- William L. Pan (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Crop and Soil Sciences, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; Pullman, Wash. :
- Identifiers
- 99900525195401842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis