Plant Soil Environ., 2010, 56(12):574-579 | DOI: 10.17221/288/2010-PSE

Effect of nitrogen fertilization on metabolisms of essential and non-essential amino acids in field-grown grain maize (Zea mays L.)

T. Lošák1, J. Hlušek1, R. Filipčík1, L. Pospíšilová1, J. Maňásek2, K. Prokeš2, F. Buňka3, S. Kráčmar3, A. Martensson4, F. Orosz5
1 Faculty of Agronomy, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
2 KWS Osiva, Velké Meziříčí, Czech Republic
3 Faculty of Technology, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Zlín, Czech Republic
4 Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Science Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden
5 Faculty of Technical and Human Sciences, Sapientia - Hungarian University

In two-year field experiments, nitrogen (N) in the form of urea (0, 120 and 240 kg N/ha) was applied to grain maize (Zea mays L.) hybrid KWS 2376. The two-year mean content of total grain N at harvest was 1.54%. The highest N dose reduced most of the 17 amino acids (AA) analysed in the grain compared with the other treatments. Possible reasons for this could be an adverse effect on the tricarboxylic acid cycle or deficiency of carbon skeletons for the assimilation of NH4+ into amides and amino acids. The content of the limiting amino acid lysine was not influenced by N fertilisation, with a mean two-year content of 2.02 mg/g DM. Taking into account the differences in fertilisation, the effect of the year was seen in the maximal accumulation of amino acids serine, proline, methionine, threonine, arginine and lysine. Increasing rates of nitrogen reduced the accumulation of asparagine and glycine, and, on the contrary, increased the accumulation of tyrosine. Nitrogen rates have a significant effect on the maximal accumulation of valine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, histidine, cysteine and alanine and appeared as early as after the first increased rate of nitrogen (120 kg N/ha).

Keywords: corn; effect conditions year and nutrition; plant uptake; regulation biosynthesis amino acids; aleurone layer in seeds; metallothionen-like proteins; senescence

Published: December 31, 2010  Show citation

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Lošák T, Hlušek J, Filipčík R, Pospíšilová L, Maňásek J, Prokeš K, et al.. Effect of nitrogen fertilization on metabolisms of essential and non-essential amino acids in field-grown grain maize (Zea mays L.). Plant Soil Environ. 2010;56(12):574-579. doi: 10.17221/288/2010-PSE.
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