Plant Soil Environ., 2003, 49(10):473-479 | DOI: 10.17221/4159-PSE

Nitrogen supply through transpiration mass flow can limit nitrogen nutrition of plants

F. Plhák
Faculty of Science, Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic

Pea (Pisum sativum L.), sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) plants were cultivated for 10 days in hydroponics at 1mM and 7mM nitrate or ammonium concentrations at regulated pH 6 and ambient CO2 level. Plant growth, content of total N and both ions in plant tissues, uptake of water and both N ions were evaluated, N uptake related to transpiration mass flow and to diffusion supply was calculated. Pea and sunflower preferred nitrate nutrition while maize plants used both N ions. The content of total N as well as of both N ions in plant tissues increased with N level with some exceptions. The uptake of both N ions related to transpiration mass flow was dependent on transpiration rate and N ion concentration. At a 1mM N concentration the uptake of N ions related to transpiration mass flow was low and reached in maize up to 16 times, in sunflower 11 times and in pea 2-3 times lower values in comparison with diffusion supply. At a 7mM N concentration N uptake in pea plants was totally supplied by transpiration mass flow, in sunflower plants the ratio of N supply related to transpiration mass flow amounted to 50% and in maize plants N supply through diffusion prevailed, amounting to 70-80%. These results explicate N starvation at low N supply that can intensify at elevated CO2 causing decreased stomatal diffusion.

Keywords: pea; sunflower; maize; NO3-, NH4+ uptake; transpiration mass flow; diffusion supply; N starvation; plant acclimation

Published: October 31, 2003  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Plhák F. Nitrogen supply through transpiration mass flow can limit nitrogen nutrition of plants. Plant Soil Environ. 2003;49(10):473-479. doi: 10.17221/4159-PSE.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Barber S.A. (1995): Soil nutrient bioavailability. John Wiley & Sons, New York.
    2. Clement C.R, Hopper M.J., Jones L.H.P. (1978): The uptake of nitrate by Lolium perenne from flowing nutrient solution. J. Exp. Bot., 29: 453-464. Go to original source...
    3. Conroy J.P., Hocking P. (1993): Nitrogen nutrition of C3 plants at elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations. Physiol. Plantarum, 89: 570-576. Go to original source...
    4. Drake B.G, González-Meler M.A., Long S.P. (1997): More efficient plants: A consequence of rising atmospheric CO2? Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol. Plant Mol. Biol., 48: 609-639. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    5. Geiger M., Haake V., Ludewig F., Sonnewald U., Stitt M. (1999): The nitrate and ammonium nitrate supply have major influence on the response of photosynthesis, carbon metabolism, nitrogen metabolism and growth to elevated carbon dioxide in tobacco. Plant Cell Environ., 22: 1177- 1199. Go to original source...
    6. Haynes R.J., Goh K.M. (1978): Ammonium and nitrate nutrition of plants. Biol. Rev., 53: 456-510. Go to original source...
    7. Jackson B.W., Caldwell M.M. (1993): The scale of nutrient heterogeneity around individual plants and its quantification with geostatistics. Ecology, 74: 612-614. Go to original source...
    8. Johansson I., Karlsson M., Shukla V.K., Chrispeels M.J., Larsson Ch., Kjellbom P. (1998): Water transport activity of the plasma membrane aquaporin PM28A is regulated by phosphorylation. Plant Cell, 10: 451-459. Go to original source...
    9. Maroco J.P., Breia E., Faria T., Pereira J.S., Chaves M.M. (2002): Effect of long-term exposure to elevated CO2 and N fertilization on the development of photosynthetic capacity and biomass accumulation in Quercus suber L. Plant Cell Environ., 25: 105-113. Go to original source...
    10. Matt P., Geiger M., Walch-Liu P., Engels C., Krapp A., Stitt M. (2001): Elevated carbon dioxide increases nitrate uptake and nitrate reductase activity when tobacco is growing on nitrate, but increases ammonium uptake and inhibits nitrate reductase activity when tobacco is growing on ammonium nitrate. Plan Cell Environ., 24: 1119-1137. Go to original source...
    11. Olsen C., Mattsson M., Schjoerring J.K. (1995): Ammonium volatilisation in relation to nitrogen nutrition of young Brassica napus plants growing with controlled nitrogen supply. J. Plant Physiol., 14: 306-312. Go to original source...
    12. Plhák F. (1994): Response of lucerne and sunflower on nitrate and ammonium nutrition in water and sand cultures at three intensities of solar radiation. Rostl. Výr., 40: 729-738. (In Czech)
    13. Plhák F. (1996): Efficiency of nitrate and ammonium nutrition in maize plants at different irradiances. Rostl. Výr., 42: 269-274. (In Czech)
    14. Pospíšilová J., Čatský J. (1999): Development of water stress under increased atmospheric CO 2 concentration. Biol. Plantarum, 42: 1-24. Go to original source...
    15. Porter H., Barke V., Baxter R., den Hertog J., Dijkstra P., Gifford R.M., Griffin K.L., Rounet C., Roy J., Wong S.C. (1997): The effect of elevated carbon dioxide on the chemical composition and construction costs of leaves of 27 C3 species. Plant Cell Environ., 20: 472-482. Go to original source...
    16. Reisenauer H.M. (1966): Mineral nutrients in soil solution. In: Altman P.L., Ditmer D.S. (eds.): Environmental biology. Fed. Amer. Soc. Exp. Biol. Bethesda: 507-508.
    17. Ruiz-Cristin J., Briskin D.P. (1991): Characterisation of H+/ NO3- symport associated with plasma membrane vesicles of maize roots using 36ClO3- as radiotracer analogue. Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 285: 74-82. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    18. Smart D.R., Ritchie K., Bloom A.F., Bugbee B.B. (1998): Nitrogen balance for wheat canopies (Triticum aestivum cv. Veery 10) grown under elevated and ambient CO 2. Plant Cell Environ, 22: 753-763. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    19. Stitt M., Krapp A. (1999): The interaction between elevated carbon dioxide and nitrogen nutrition: the physiological and molecular background. Plant Cell Environ., 22: 58-621. Go to original source...
    20. Stöhr C. (1999): Relationship of nitrate supply with growth rate, plasma membrane-bound and cytosolic nitratereductase, and tissue nitrate content in tobacco plants. Plant Cell Environ., 22: 169-177. Go to original source...
    21. Van Vuuren M.M.L., Robinson D., Fitter A.H., Chasalow S.D., Williamson I., Raven J.A. (1997): Effect of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide and soil water availability on root biomass, root length and N, P and K uptake in wheat. New Phytol., 135: 455-465. Go to original source...
    22. Wolt J.D. (1994): Soil solution chemistry. John Wiley & Sons, New York.

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY NC 4.0), which permits non-comercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content