Nitrogen, Sodium, and Potassium in Foliage from Some Arid- and Temperate-Zone Shrubs

Abstract

Species of Chenopodiaceae contribute much of the perennial plant biomass over large tracts of the southern Australian arid zone. In some places they contribute almost all of it. Known as "saltbushes" for their high salt contents (Audas 1917), they were regarded by Cannon (1921) as halophytes. Osborn and Wood (1923) showed that these were not halophytes, but rather salt-accumulating plants growing commonly in soils of ordinary salinities. Miscellaneous analyses (Russell 1947) showed that these plants often have high protein contents in their foliage, and Trumble (1932) demonstrated a high nitrogen requirement for Atriplex semibaccatum, excessive for pasture cultivation of the species.