Alterations in nitrogen assimilation and partitioning in nitrogen stressed plants

Although nutrient stress is known to alter partitioning between shoots and roots, the physiological basis for the phenomenon is unresolved. Experiments were conducted to examine assimilation of ¹⁵NO₃ by N-stressed plants and to determine whether apparent changes in assimilation in the root contributed to alterations in whole-plant partitioning of reduced-N. Tobacco plants (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. NC 2326) were exposed to a low concentration of NO₃^? in solution (80 μM) for 9 days to effect a N-stress response. Exposure of plants to 1000 μM¹⁵NO₃^? for 12 h on selected days revealed that roots of N-stressed plants developed an increased capacity to absorb NO₃^?, and accumulation of reduced-¹⁵N in the root increased to an even greater extent. When plants were exposed to 80 or 1000 μM¹⁵NO₃^? in steady-state, ¹⁵NO₃^? uptake over a 12 h period was noticeably restricted at the lower concentration, but a larger proportion of the absorbed ¹⁵N still accumulated as reduced-¹⁵N in the root. The alteration in reduced-¹⁵N partitioning was maintained in N-stressed plants during the subsequent 3-day “chase” period when formation of insoluble reduced-¹⁵N in the root was quantitatively related to the disappearance of ¹⁵NO₃^? and soluble reduced-¹⁵N. The results indicate that increased assimilation of absorbed NO₃^?, in the root may contribute significantly to the altered reduced-N partitioning which occurs in N-stressed plants.