Growth and N2 fixation in mixed cropping of Medicago arborea and Atriplex halimus grown on a salt affected soil using a 15N tracer technique

The objective of this study was to evaluate dry matter (DM), nitrogen yield, N2 fixation (Ndfa) and soil N uptake (Ndfs) in the shrubby medic (Medicago arborea) and saltbush (Atriplex halimus) grown in pots either solely or in mixture on a salt affected soil, using 15N dilution method. The combined DM of both species was considerably higher than that of solely grown shrubs. The inclusion of saltbush in the mixed cropping system decreased Ndfs by shrubby medic and enhanced %Ndfa without affecting amounts of N2-fixed. It can be concluded that the use of mixed cropping system of shrubby medic and salt bush could be a promising bio-saline agricultural approach to utilize salt affected soils in terms of forage yield and N2-fixation. (author)