Ecology Laboratory Department of Botany, University of Garhwal, Srinagar, Uttar Pradesh, 246174
The paper deals with cycling of nitrogen in soil (top 0–60 cm)-vegetation (live and dead shoots, litter and roots) components of two grassland ecosystems (30°09’N, 78°46’E and 1800m above m s.l.) dominated, respectively by Erianthus rufipilus (S1) and Arundinella setosa (S2). Total annual uptake of N by plants from soil under S1 and S2 was 87.4 and 55 5 kg/ha, respectively of which 47.7 and 30.2 kg/ha were released to soil and 39.7 and 25.3 kg/ha/yr, respectively were retained in the vegetation components. The circulation of N in both the grassland systems was not balanced since inputs considerably exceeded outputs as indicated by release/uptake ratio amounting to 0 55 and 0.54, respectively in case of S1 and S2.
Grassland, nitrogen cycling, nitrogen uptake, transfer and release, storage capacity, soil-vegetation components, grassland ecosystems
