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On the Growth of Plants in Partially Sterilised Soils

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

Edward John Russell  and
Frederick Robert Petherbridge
Edward John Russell
Affiliation:
Rothamsted Experimental Station.
Frederick Robert Petherbridge
Affiliation:
Rothamsted Experimental Station.
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Extract

During the past few years we have grown a large number of plants in partially sterilised soils alongside of others in untreated soils, in order to compare the total weights of dry matter produced. While the experiments were in progress certain qualitative differences in growth and habits of the plants revealed themselves; we propose in this paper to record these differences and to set out certain of the hypotheses that have been put forward to account for them. It was soon found that several distinct problems in plant physiology were concerned, and that any attempt to test the hypotheses experimentally would involve us in a number of side issues and lead us away from our main purpose. We therefore for the present confine ourselves to a statement of the facts observed, leaving their more complete elucidation for later work.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 5 , Issue 3 , June 1913 , pp. 248 - 287
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1913

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References

page 248 note 1 The temperatures throughout are ºC.

page 250 note 1 Measurements for rye are given in this Journal, 1909, 3, 122.Google Scholar

page 255 note 1 This fact is curiously overlooked by mycologists. We read, for instance, in a recent paper by a well-known mycologist that a fungus known to attack the roots of certain plants was inoculated into soil heated above 100º C. in order to ascertain whether it could live and thrive in a soil free from living plants. Good growth was obtained, as we should expect, but the wholly erroneous conclusion was drawn that the fungus “is able to live in, and to penetrate for some distance into, the ordinary soil in our fields.”

page 255 note 2 This Journal, 1909, 3, 135, and 1912, 5. 200.Google Scholar

page 255 note 3 For an account of the American work on this subject see Schreiner and Lathrop, “The chemistry of steam heated soils,” Bull. 89, Bureau of Soils, 1912.

page 255 note 4 Nature, June 6th, 1907.

page 255 note 5 “Studies in germination and plant growth.” This Journal, 1908, 2, 411–434.Google Scholar

page 256 note 1 These observations were made on Lolium, perenne, L. italicum, clover and spinach, and are of interest in connection with a hypothesis, attributed to Nilson, that germination depends on the activity of bacteria at the surface of the seed. Windisch, W. and Schoönewald, K. (Woch. Brau. 1905, 22, 200)Google Scholar showed that this was not true of barley, and Dixon, (Trans. Roy. Soc. Dub. v. II, 1)Google Scholar that it did not hold for turnips. Hutchinson, and Miller, have also germinated peas and wheat in absence of bacteria (This Journal, 1912, 4, 282–302).Google ScholarStigell, B. W. has discussed changes whereby bacteria may affect germination and subsequent plant growth (Centr. Baku Par. 1909, 23, 727).Google Scholar

page 256 note 2 “The action of heat and antiseptics on soils.” This Journal, 1908, 3, 32–54.Google Scholar

page 256 note 3 “Studies of the changes ocourring in heated soils.” This Journal, 1910, 3, 258–276.Google Scholar

page 257 note 1 Proc. Roy. Soc. 1909, 81 B, 82–93CrossRefGoogle Scholar. The selective permeability of the coverings of the seeds of Hordeum vulgare.

page 257 note 2 These are the “hormones” of H. E. and B. F. Armstrong, see p. 260.

page 258 note 1 “Biochemical studies on soils subjected to dry heat,” Biochem. Bull. 1912, 1, 413–427.Google Scholar

page 258 note 2 It should be noted that we are not dealing with highly heated soils as used in some of Pickering's experiments but confined ourselves to soils treated with antiseptics or heated to 100º C. or less. When the temperature of heating rises above 100º the decomposition proceeds much more rapidly and the effect on the plant is correspondingly more drastic.

page 260 note 1 “The origin of Osmotic effects, III.” Proc. Roy. Soc. 1910, 82 B, 588–602. “The function of hormones in regulating metabolism.” Annals of Botany, 1911, 25, 507–519.Google Scholar

page 260 note 2 “Plant growth in heated soils.” This Journal, 1910, 3, 277–284.Google Scholar

page 272 note 1 This Journal, 1910, 3, 261.Google Scholar

page 280 note 1 This Journal, 1907, 2, 313et seq.; 1909, 3, 122.Google Scholar