POTASSIURIGROWTH AND NUTRITION OF TIMOTHY (PHLEUM PRATENSE L.) 111. ABSORPTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF NITROGEN, PHOSPHORUS AND POTASSIURI DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF GROWTH

Absorption of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium by S(4)8 timothy plants ran parallel to dry-weight increase, at an increasing rate until the autumn, almost completely ceasing in the winter, and increasing again in the spring. Flowering tillers accumulated nutrients until ear emergence, after which the content per tiller of all nutrients decreased until death of the tillers during the winter. Non-flowering tillers continued to accumulate nutrients steadily throughout the whole period of the experiment. These observations are discussed in relation to the perennial habit of the plant.