Nitrogen fixation in grassland and associated cultivated ecosystems

Nitrogen fixation in the natural, Agropyron-Koeleria grassland ecosystem was studied using the C2H2-C2H4 and N15 assays. Small soil samples and also undisturbed soil cores were used for analyses. Both techniques indicated that grassland and associated cultivated soils had low fixation rates (0.6–1.8 kg/ha per 28 days in the laboratory and, 1 kg/ha per season under actual field conditions). Algal colonies (Nostoc spp.) on the soil surface were active fixers when the surface of the grassland was moist. However, their small biomass limits the extent of fixation in most areas.