Nitrogen fixation of crop legumes: basic principles and practical management - WA Soil Knowledge Base

Skip to main content

Home
About
Soil attributes
Explore an underground world

Learn about what’s going in soil and why.
Understand soil properties and processes

The Soil attributes section contains information on different topics within soil biology, physics or chemistry. Pages within these topics present an overview of the current state of knowledge, explain the principles and properties of different soil attributes, and highlight insights from research and resources like case studies. Resources are suggested throughout these Pages.
- View all soil attributes
Soil management
Looking after soil for long-term sustainability

Protecting and conserving a critical resource.
Discover and apply best practice soil management

Soil management focuses on practical advice and guidelines to improve soil management. This information discusses how soil management integrates into different farming systems and considers different options that may be available to improve soil quality. Resources are linked throughout Soil Management pages.
- View all Soil management
- Controlled traffic farming
- Strategic tillage
- Soil amendments
- Agricultural lime
- Fertiliser
Soil analysis & testing
Dig deeper with analytical insights and data

Support better decision making and create value with soil monitoring and testing.
Learn how soil testing and monitoring can unlock potential

Soil analysis & testing provides information on how soil attributes and properties are measured and tested, as well as guidance on how to analyse and interpret soil test results and set up soil sampling and monitoring.
- View all Soil analysis and testing
- Soil sampling
- Soil groups
- Testing soil colour
- Testing soil texture
- Testing soil structure
- Testing soil nutrients
- Identifying soil constraints
- Measuring soil organic carbon
- Understanding trial results and on-farm experimentation
Resources
Curated collection of high-quality, evidence-based soil information

The knowledge you need, all in one place.
Explore our collection of videos, case studies, fact sheets, tools, journal articles, links and more.

The Resources section lets user explore and access a curated selection of additional resources for soil information and management. These Resources can be searched, and filtered by topic(s), format, date, and organisation so you can find what you’re looking for, or discover something new.
- Videos
- Case studies
- Fact sheets
- Reports
- Journal articles
- Tools
- External links
- Books
- Ebooks
- View all

Date

2014/07/01

Link

Link: Read the publication

Organisations

Grains Research and Development Corporation

University of New England Primary Industries Innovation Centre

Authors

David Herridge

Key points

Growing crop legumes in rotation with cereals substantially reduces the need for fertiliser N inputs, often by 40 to 80kg N/ha, and improves productivity.
Crop legumes fix about 100kg N/ha on average. Nitrogen fixation is suppressed by soil nitrate.
An estimated 167,000 tonnes of N with a nominal value of $270 million was fixed by crop legumes in 2012.
Adequate nodulation is important.

Video

Role of potassium in tolerance to stress

Potassium

01:44

Professor Richard Bell explains how potassium helps plants buffer against stress like disease and drought.

Hand with soil and worms

Soil biological fertility

Soil biological attributes

Soil organisms carry out a wide range of processes that are important for soil health and fertility.

Soil phosphorus testing: Colwell P and DGT-P

4 min read

Different soil testing methods measure different pools of phosphorus in the soil.

Soil erosion

Soil physical attributes

Wind and water erosion result in the loss of soil, nutrients and organic matter essential for plant growth

Video

A ‘systems’ approach to managing sodic and alkaline soil

Soil management

03:10

A combination of crop choice, water harvesting, gypsum application, maximising soil cover and no livestock, and then maintaining the...

Video

Processes of soil nutrient supply to plant roots

02:36

Professor Richard Bell explains how plant roots take up nutrients from the soil by diffusion, mass flow, and interception.

Nitrous oxide greenhouse gas emissions from dryland cropping soil

Soil management

5 min read

Quantifying the extent and timing of nitrous oxide emissions.

By topic

By type