1College of Agricultural, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471003, China
2Henan Engineering Research Center of Human Settlements, Luoyang, 471023, Henan Province, China
3Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
4Luoyang Key Laboratory of Symbiotic Microorganism and Green Development, Luoyang, Henan Province, 471023, P. R. China
*Corresponding Author: Z.Y. Shi, College of Agricultural, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471003, China, Email: shizy1116@126.com
Online published on 29 August, 2020.
The legume is notable owing to their symbiotic nitrogen (N) fixing ability. Usually, higher leaf N concentration and N to phosphorus (P) ratio (N: P) in legumes than non-legumes. However, the variations of leaf N, P and N: P and their relationship had been hardly studied based on functional groups. In this study, we studied the leaf N, P and N: P and their relationship among different functional groups. The results showed that the average values of leaf N, P and N: P ratios for all legumes were 27.33 mg g−1, 1.27 mg g−1 and 21.94, respectively. Leaf N (36.96 mg g−1) and P (2.15 mg g−1) of herbaceous legumes are significantly higher than N (24.97 mg g−1) and P (1.18 mg g−1) in woody plants, respectively. Moreover, leaf N, P and N: P of shrub markedly higher than them in tree. Leaf N and P are always higher in deciduous than evergreen legumes. A negative correlation was found between leaf N: P and P in overall and different functional groups of legumes.
Functional groups, Leaf N, Leaf NP, Leaf P, Leaf stoichiometry, Legumes
