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<br /> <br />9.2.7 Nitrogen Fertility Study on Disturbed Soils 1974 <br />Coarse gravelly sites or areas where subsoil or geological materials have <br />been exposed are almost inevitably nitrogen deficient for plant growth. If <br />intensive efforts are made to revegetate these types of sites, plant <br />establishment is usually fair to good; however, after two or ithree years, <br />most of the nitrogen applied at seeding time has either been utilized by the <br />plants or leached out. Consequently, the grass thins and dies back to the <br />point that it will not be effective in controlling erosion or for <br />maintaining aesthetic values. <br />Nitrogen can be supplied to disturbed areas by: <br />1. Covering with topsoil. The organic matter in the topsoil acts as <br />a pool for nitrogen storage which is recycled by microorganisms. <br />2. Culture of legumes or other plants capable of fixing nitrogen from <br />the air, but success in establishing and maintaining nitrogen <br />fixing plants on disturbed sites at Climax has been limited (See <br />8.2.5). <br />3. Adding nitrogen fertilizers. <br />Objectives <br />The nitrogen fertility study at Climax by Dr. Berg and Henry Barrau was <br />designed to evaluate how often a disturbed area, stripped of topsoil, needs <br />to be fertilized with nitrogen to maintain an adequate grass cover. <br />Data generated from this study will be used to evaluate: <br />1. The residual effect of nitrogen application for a period of one to <br />five years. <br />37 <br />