Abstract
FOR a number of years it has been noticed at Woburn that seedling barley plants sown in soil too acid to allow normal growth (pH 4·3 or thereabouts) were very much more attractive to small birds (chaffinches and the like) than similar seedlings grown on a normal soil (pH 6·0–6·5); and that consequently a very large proportion of the growing seedlings were dug up and the seeds eaten when little or no similar damage was done to plants on normal soil. At first the tendency was to attribute the difference to the slowness of growth on the acid soil, which kept the seedlings in a condition suitable for bird attack for a much longer period, but this explanation failed when it was found that the seedlings were attacked almost as soon as the shoots appeared above the ground.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
BARNES, T. Accumulation of Sugars in Barley Seedlings on Very Acid Soil. Nature 156, 692 (1945). https://doi.org/10.1038/156692a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/156692a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.