Influence of host genotypes on growth,symbiotic performance and nitrogen assimilation in faba bean (Vicia faba L.) under salt stress

Fifteen genotypes of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) were inoculated with salt-tolerant Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar. viciae strain GRA 19 in solution culture with 0 (control) and 75 mM NaCl added immediately after transplanting. Genotypes varied in their tolerance of high levels of NaCl. Physiological parameters (dry weight of shoot and root, number and dry weight of nodules) were not affected by salinity in lines VF46, VF64 and VF112. Faba bean line VF60 was sensitive to salt stress. Host tolearance appeared to be a major requisite for nodulation and N₂ fixation under salt stress. Tolerant line VF112 sustained nitrogen fixation under saline conditions. Activity of the ammonium assimilation enzymes glutamine synthetase and glutamate synthase, and soluble protein content, were reduced by salinity in all genotypes tested. Evidence presented here suggests a need to select faba bean genotypes that are tolerant to salt stress.Abbreviations ARA acetylene reduction activity - NADH-GOGAT NADH-dependent glutamate synthase - GS glutamine synthetase     

The effect of salinity on N fixation and assimilation in Vicia faba

Production of the faba bean in semi-arid and coastal areas maybe limited by the salt sensitivity of faba bean symbiosis. Accordingly,this study was done to analyse the effects of salt on the effectivesymbiosis of faba bean (Vicia faba L. var. minor cultivar Alborea)and salt-tolerant Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar. viciae strainGRA19. After 4 weeks of growth, the nutrient solutions weresupplemented with 50, 75 and 100 mM NaCl for 21 d. Plants wereharvested four times at weekly intervals, beginning at 4 weeks.Vicia faba tolerated low (50 mM NaCl) but not higher levels(75 and 100 mM NaCl) of salt stress. Salinity affected shootgrowth more than root growth. At the end of the culture, thetotal nitrogen content in the shoot was affected more than plantgrowth; conversely, in the root, growth was influenced morethan total nitrogen content. In nodules, nitrogen fixation (acetylenereduction activity) was more sensitive to salinity than ammoniumassimilation (glutamine synthetase and glutamate synthase). Key words: Glutamate synthase, glutamine synthetase, N₂ fixation, Rhizobium leguminosarum, salinity     

Effects of NaCl on growth and nitrogen fixation and assimilation of inoculated and KNO3 fertilized Vicia faba L. and Pisum sativum L. plants

Faba bean (Vicia faba L. var. minor cv. Alborea) and pea (Pisum sativum L. cv. Lincoln) plants, inoculated with Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar. viciae strain GRA19, were treated with salt (100 mM NaCl) and/or nitrate (8 mM KNO₃) to test whether plants grown with inorganic-nitrogen are more tolerant to salinity than plants entirely reliant upon fixed nitrogen. According to the growth inhibition recorded, pea plants dependent on dinitrogen fixation proved more tolerant to salt stress than those N-fertilized, in contrast to results obtained for faba bean plants. This study therefore confirms that plants dependent on nitrogen fixation are not always more sensitive to salinity than are N-fertilized plants. Nitrate addition did not reduce the specific nitrogenase activity in pea, but did in faba bean. However, nodulation was inhibited in both legumes. The specific nitrogenase activity was more affected by salt treatment in N-fertilized plants for both legumes. The activity of the enzymes mediating ammonium assimilation in nodules (GS, NADH-GOGAT) was inhibited by salt stress both in N-fixing and in N-fertilized pea and faba bean plants.     

Effect of the Nitrogen Supply on the Activities of Isoenzymes of NADH-dependent Glutamate Synthase and Glutamine Synthetase in Root Nodules of Phaseolus vulgaris L.

This paper has investigated the regulation of the activitiesof glutamine synthetase (GS) and NADH-dependent glutamate synthase(NADH-GOGAT) of Phaseolus vulgaris in relation to the nitrogensupply. The activity of NADH-GOGAT II, which is the most abundantisoenzyme of glutamate synthase in root nodules of P. vulgaris,was either absent or barely detectable in other organs of thisspecies. Moreover, its activity in roots could not be inducedby ammonium. In nodules NADH-GOGAT II activity was detectedin nodules grown under an atmosphere of 80% argon: 20% oxygenand in nodules formed with a Fix- Rhizobium mutant. However,in these non-fixing nodules the activity of this isoenzyme attainedless than 15% of the activity in fixing nodules and switchingargon/oxygen grown nodules to nitrogen/oxygen led to an increasein this isoenzyme within 24 h. This effect could not be mimickedby the addition of exogenous ammonium. Ammonium addition, however,promoted nodule senescence and also led to a decrease in theactivities of nitrogenase and plant GS. In particular, the nodule-enhancedGS isoenzyme but not the GSß isoenzyme was affectedby these changes and in a manner similar to the changes in NADH-GOGATII. The activity of the NADH-GOGAT I isoenzyme was detectablein other organs of P. vulgaris and in nodules its activity alsoshowed some changes in response to the rate of dinitrogen fixation. Key words: Glutamate synthase, glutamine synthetase, nitrogen fixation, nodule metabolism, Phaseolus vulgaris     

A Mutation in Vicia faba Results in Ineffective Nodules with Impaired Bacteroid Differentiation and Reduced Synthesis of Late Nodulins

Although numerous reports have documented the effect of bacterially-inducedineffectiveness on root nodule structure, function, and plantgene expression, few studies have detailed the effect of theplant genome on similar parameters. In this report effective(N₂-fixing) broadbean {Vicia faba L.) and plant-controlled ineffective(non-N₂-fixing) broadbean recessive for the sym-1 gene werecompared for nodule structure, developmental expression of noduleenzyme activities, enzyme proteins, and mRNAs involved in Nassimilation, leghemoglobin (Lb) synthesis, and acetylene reductionactivity (ARA). During development of effective wild-type nodules,glutamine synthetase (GS), aspartate aminotransferase (AAT),phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) and NADH-glutamate synthase(GOGAT) activities and enzyme proteins increased coincidentwith nodule ARA. The increases in GS, AAT, and PEPC were associatedwith increased synthesis of mRNAs for these proteins. Synthesisof Lb polypeptides and mRNAs during development of effectivenodules was similar to that of GS, AAT, and PEPC. By contrast,ineffective sym-1 nodules displayed little or no ARA and hadneither the increases in enzyme activities nor enzyme proteinsand mRNAs as seen for effective nodules. The effect of the sym-1gene appeared to occur late in nodule development at eitherthe stage of bacterial release from infection threads or differentiationof bacteria into bacteroids. High in vitro enzyme activities,enzyme polypeptides, and mRNA levels in parental effective noduleswere dependent upon a signal associated with effective bacteroidsthat was lacking in sym-1 nodules. Nodule organogenesis didnot appear to be a signal for the induction of GS, PEPC, AAT,and Lb expression in sym-1 nodules. Key words: Vicia faba, mutation, sym-1 gene, nodules     

The Effects of Exogenous Amino Acid on Acetylene Reduction Activity of Vicia faba L. cv. Fiord

The feed back control mechanism proposed to explain the inhibitionof N₂ fixation by N was investigated using Vicia faba cv. Fiord.Plants were grown under controlled conditions without mineralN in coarse river sand. Asparagine was supplied to plants activelyfixing N₂ by absorption through cut roots and via a wick ordirect injection into the stem just above the bottom leaf. Responsesin N₂ fixation were measured by acetylene reduction (AR). Feedingplants with [¹⁴C]-labelled asparagine showed that the amidewas taken up when exogenously applied. Asparagine (10 mM) suppliedby the above procedures resulted in a 50-70% inhibition of ARby 48 h. Glutamine produced a similar effect. The cut root methodallowed higher levels of these amides to be supplied but theinhibition observed with 10 mM asparagine was only increasedslightly with higher levels of the amide. The antibiotic Securopenprevented bacterial contamination of root solutions of asparagineand glutamine and had no effect on nodule activity. It is concludedthat accumulation of asparagine of glutamine or the resultantincrease in the pool of soluble N in the plant cause a feedbackeffect on the activity of nitrogenase.Copyright 1993, 1999 AcademicPress Vicia faba, faba bean, asparagine, inhibition of N₂ fixation     

Effect of Salinity on Growth, Nodulation and Nitrogen Yield of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Chickpea cultivar ILC 482 was inoculated with salt-tolerantRhizobium strain Ch191 in solution culture with different saltconcentrations added either immediately with inoculation or5 d later. The inhibitory effect of salinity on nodulation ofchickpea occurred at 40 dS m^–1 (34.2 mol m^–3 NaCl)and nodulation was completely inhibited at 7 dS m^–1 (61.6mol m^–3 NaCl); the plants died at 8 dS m^–1 (71.8mol m^–3 NaCl). Chickpea cultivar ILC 482 inoculated with Rhizobium strain Ch191^spcstrwas grown in two pot experiments and irrigated with saline water.Salinity (NaCl equivalent to 1–4 dS m^–1) significantlydecreased shoot and root dry weight, total nodule number perplant, nodule weight and average nodule weight. The resultsindicate that Rhizobium strain Ch191 forms an infective andeffective symbiosis with chickpea under saline and non-salineconditions; this legume was more salt-sensitive compared tothe rhizobia, the roots were more sensitive than the shoots,and N₂ fixation was more sensitive to salinity than plant growth. Key words: Cicer arietinum, nodulation, N₂ fixation, Rhizobium, salinity     

Xylem exudation is related to nitrate assimilation pathway in detopped maize seedlings: use of nitrate reductase and glutamine synthetase inhibitors as tools

The xylem exudation of detopped 7-d-old seedlings of Zea maysL. doubled when KCI was present in the root medium comparedto seedlings maintained on water. It was further enhanced whenKCI was replaced by nitrogen compounds such as nitrate, ammoniumand glutamine. The role of the nitrate assimilation pathwayon the enhancement of xylem exudation rate was investigatedusing tungstate, an inhibitor of nitrate reductase (NR) activity,and phosphinothricin or methionine sulphoximine, inhibitorsof glutamine synthetase (GS) activity. The sap levels of NO₃^–,NH₄⁺, glutamine, and asparagine was used to ascertain the invivo inhibition of both enzymes. The tungstate effects werealso checked by measuring leaf in vitro NA activity and NR proteincontent. Xylem exudation rate of detopped seedlings fed withKNO₃ decreased when the nitrate assimilation pathway was blockedeither at the NR or at GS sites. This decrease was preventedwhen urea (acting as NH₄⁺ supply) was given simultaneously withtungstate. KNO₃ does not act directly on exudation, but throughthe involvement of NH₄⁺. The involvement of glutamine was alsoshown since GS inhibition resulted in a cancellation of theenhancing effect of KNO₃ on exudation. As change of exudationrate was not linked to change in sap osmolarity, it is assumedthat the assimilation chain could modify root water conductance.The role of glutamine was discussed. Key words: Exudation, maize, nitrate, conductance, NR, GS     

The Effect of Salinity on Light and Dark CO2-Fixation of Salt-Adapted and Unadapted Cell Cultures of Atriplex and Tomato

The effect of salinity on light and dark CO₂,-fixation was determinedin cells of A triplex portulacoides and tomato (Lycopersiconesculenturn Mill.) grown in culture. CO₂,-fixation of tomatocells was also determined in cultures adapted to mannitol andpolyethylene glycol (PEG). Salinity up to 400 mM NaCI in thecase of A triplex and up to 50 mM in the case of tomato enhancedthe rate of light-induced CO₂,-flxation in unadapted cells.Higher salt concentrations led to a marked decline in CO₂-flxationin both species. In salt-adapted A triplex cells no declinein the rate of light CO²,-flxation was seen even at 500 mM NaCl.Dark CO₂,-fixation was approximately 40% and 80% of the lightfixation in control cell cultures of A triplex and tomato, respectively.No enhancement in dark CO₂,-flxation was seen as salinity wasincreased, but a decline was found at similar salt concentrationsthat decreased fixation in the light. Mannitol-and PEG-adaptedtomato cells fixed CO₂, at somewhat lower rates than the controlcells in the light but not in the dark. Key words: Salinity, CO₂-fixation, cell cultures, Atriplex, tomato     

Carbon Dioxide Fixation and Ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate Carboxylase Activity in Intact Leaves of Sugar Beet Plants Exposed to Salinity and Water Stress

The influence of salinity in the growing media on ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase and on CO₂ fixation by intactsugar beet (Beta vulgaris) leaves was investigated. RuBP carboxylase activity was mostly stimulated in young leavesafter exposure of plants for 1 week to 180 mM NaCl in the nutrientsolution. This stimulation was more effective at the higherNaHCO₂ concentrations in the reaction medium. Salinity also enhanced CO₂ fixation in intact leaves mostlyat rate-limiting light intensities. A 60 per cent stimulationin CO₂ fixation rate was obtained by salinity under 450 µEm^–2 s^–1. At quantum flux densities of 150 µEm^–2 s^–1 (400–700 nm) this stimulation was280 per cent. Under high light intensities no stimulation bysalinity was found. In contrast, water stress achieved by directleaf desiccation or by polyethylene glycol inhibited enzymeactivity up to fourfold at –1.2 MPa. Beta vulgaris, sugar beet, ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase, salt stress, water stress, carbon dixoide fixation, salinity     

Heme oxygenase up-regulation under salt stress protects nitrogen metabolism in nodules of soybean plants

The behaviour of enzymes involved in nitrogen metabolism, as well as oxidative stress generation and heme oxygenase gene and protein expression and activity, were analysed in soybean (Glycine max L.) nodules exposed to 50, 100 and 200 mM NaCl concentrations. A significant increase in lipid peroxidation was found with 100 and 200 mM salt treatments. Moreover, superoxide dismutase, catalase and peroxidase activities were decreased under 100 and 200 mM salt. Nitrogenase activity and leghemeoglobin content were diminished and ammonium content increased only under 200 mM NaCl. At 100 mM NaCl, glutamine synthetase (GS) and NADH-glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) activities were similar to controls, whereas a significant increase (64%) in NADH-glutamate synthase (GOGAT) activity was observed. GS activity did not change at 200 mM salt treatment, but GOGAT and GDH significantly decreased (40 and 50%, respectively). When gene and protein expression of GS and GOGAT were analysed, it was found that they were positively correlated with enzyme activities. In addition, heme oxygenase (HO) activity, protein synthesis and gene expression were significantly increased under 100 mM salt treatment. Our data demonstrated that the up-regulation of HO, as part of antioxidant defence system, could be protecting the soybean nodule nitrogen fixation and assimilation under saline stress conditions.     

Reduced Phosphorus Requirement of a Mutant Azolla-Anabaena Symbiotic N2-fixing Complex

The use of the photo-autotrophic nitrogen-fixing water fernAzolla as an effective source of organic nitrogen in tropicalpaddy fields has been limited by a high phosphorus requirement.Azolla species with a minimum of 1.5 to 2.0 mM phosphate (P)requirement, under controlled conditions, are known. A local Azolla species requiring at least 1.5 mM sodium phosphatefor a normal rate of multiplication and N₂ fixation was exposedto N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG). The resultingmutant population had a significantly lower P requirement, butwas auxotrophic for glutamine with an extremely reduced glutaminesynthetase (GS) activity. An L-methionine-DL-sulphoximine (MSX)-resistant(MSX^r) Azolla population, having an approximately 1.5 timeshigher GS activity than that of the wild type (WT) parent organism,was cultured and subjected to MNNG-induced mutation for lowP requirement while putting MSX as a control in the mutant selectionmedium. The resulting population of mutant Azolla was a normalprototroph with a P requirement as low as 0.75 mM for its ‘WTparent-like’ usual growth and N₂ fixation. Key words: Azolla, phosphorus requirement, mutation     

Effects of NaCl on Growth, Nitrogen Incorporation and Chemical Composition of Inoculated and NH4NO3 Fertilized Vicia faba (L. ) Plants

Vicia faba cv. Maris Bead was grown either on fixed nitrogenor on ammonium nitrate. After 4 weeks growth, nutrient solutionswere supplemented with 50, 75 and 100 mol m^–3 NaCl for15 d. Five harvests were made at weekly intervals, beginningat 4 weeks. Effects of salinity were directly related to dose,plant growth (fresh and dry weight) being depressed in bothN-fixing and N-fertilized plants. The number of nodules perplant and the proportion of those formed which developed intothe active nitrogen fixing state were depressed by salt stress.Increased size of nodules in salt-stressed plants only partlycompensated for the lower specific nitrogenase activity. Theeffects of salinity on plant nitrogen content were more pronouncedon N-flxing than on N-fertilized plants. The former took upmore Na⁺ and Cl^– than the latter: the implications ofthis and of ionic imbalance are discussed. Key words: Vicia faba, Growth, Salt stress, Nodulation     

Bottle gourd rootstock-grafting affects nitrogen metabolism in NaCl-stressed watermelon leaves and enhances short-term salt tolerance

The plant growth, nitrogen absorption, and assimilation in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus [Thunb.] Mansf.) were investigated in self-grafted and grafted seedlings using the salt-tolerant bottle gourd rootstock Chaofeng Kangshengwang (Lagenaria siceraria Standl.) exposed to 100 mM NaCl for 3 d. The biomass and NO₃⁻ uptake rate were significantly increased by rootstock while these values were remarkably decreased by salt stress. However, compared with self-grafted plants, rootstock-grafted plants showed higher salt tolerance with higher biomass and NO₃⁻ uptake rate under salt stress. Salinity induced strong accumulation of nitrate, ammonium and protein contents and a significant decrease of nitrogen content and the activities of nitrate reductase (NR), nitrite reductase (NiR), glutamine synthetase (GS), and glutamate synthase (GOGAT) in leaves of self-grafted seedlings. In contrast, salt stress caused a remarkable decrease in nitrate content and the activities of GS and GOGAT, and a significant increase of ammonium, protein, and nitrogen contents and NR activity, in leaves of rootstock-grafted seedlings. Compared with that of self-grafted seedlings, the ammonium content in leaves of rootstock-grafted seedlings was much lower under salt stress. Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) activity was notably enhanced in leaves of rootstock-grafted seedlings, whereas it was significantly inhibited in leaves of self-grafted seedlings, under salinity stress. Three GDH isozymes were isolated by native gel electrophoresis and their expressions were greatly enhanced in leaves of rootstock-grafted seedlings than those of self-grafted seedlings under both normal and salt-stress conditions. These results indicated that the salt tolerance of rootstock-grafted seedlings might (be enhanced) owing to the higher nitrogen absorption and the higher activities of enzymes for nitrogen assimilation induced by the rootstock. Furthermore, the detoxification of ammonium by GDH when the GS/GOGAT pathway was inhibited under salt stress might play an important role in the release of salt stress in rootstock-grafted seedlings.     

Salt Tolerance in the Halophyte Suaeda maritima L. Dum. Growth, Ion and Water Relations and Gas Exchange in Response to Altered Salinity

Clipson, N. J. W. 1987. Salt tolerance in the halophyte Suaedamaritima L. Dum. Growth, ion and water relations and gas exchangein response to altered salinity.—J. exp. Bot. 38: 1996–2004. Shoot and root fresh and dry weights and shoot sodium, chlorideand potassium contents were measured and shoot relative growthrates calculated in seedlings of Suaeda maritima over a periodof 11 d following a raising of culture solution salinity from0 to 200 mol m₃– NaCl. Growth, growth rates and sodiumand chloride contents, as compared to plants growing in theabsence of salt were increased whilst potassium contents declined.Shoot sodium accumulation rate and the rate of transport ofsodium from root to shoot, osmotic potential, and rates of photosynthesisand transpiration were also measured for up to 72 h after transferof plants originally growing at 0 and 200 mol₃– NaCl to200 and 400 mol m₃– NaCl respectively. Ion uptake andtransport rates were maximal 6-12 h after transfer and thendeclined to new steady-state levels within 48 h; osmotic potentialswere lowered over a 72 h period on average by approximately1·0 MPa; and after 9 h photosynthetic and transpirationrates were reduced by about 20percnt; and 30% respectively.Results are discussed in terms of the ability of halophytesto adjust to fluctuating salinity and to salt tolerance mechanismsin general. Key words: Suaeda maritima, salinity, gas exchange, growth, ion and water relations     

The Response of Phaseolus vulgaris L. to Root-zone Anaerobiosis, Waterlogging and High Sodium Chloride

Phaseolus vulgaris L. grown at a range of external concentrationsof NaCl (0 to 80 mM) responded differently to gaseous anaerobiosis(N₂ gas) in nutrient solution or stagnant waterlogging of theroot-zone. With similar patterns of distribution of Na⁺ andCl^- occurring in the plants with comparable NaCl treatments,and similar final concentrations of Na⁺ and Cl^- in plants grownunder both root-zone conditions, rates of uptake of Na⁺ andCl^- were much higher in plants with the stagnant waterloggedrootzones. After 72 h stagnant waterlogging, plant tops fromplants grown at 40 mM NaCl contained 1.42 per cent Na⁺ and 3.44per cent Cl^- (d. wt basis) while after 9 days exposure to NaClwith gaseous anaerobiosis, leaf tissue contained 1.49 per centNa⁺ and 4.28 per cen Cl^- (d. wt basis). Plants exposed to 40mM external NaCl were severely damaged within 72 h when grownwith stagnant waterlogged root-zones; those grown with N₂ anaerobiosiscontinued growth and development over the 9 d period. Plantsgrown in nutrient solution showed changes in distribution andconcentration of Na⁺ and Cl^- when oxygen concentration was reducedbelow 21 per cent O₂ (full aeration). Phaseolus vulgaris. L., bean, mineral salt distribution, anaerobiosis, salinity, waterlogging     

The Effect of Reduction in the Number of Nodules on Nodule Activity of Faba Bean (Vicia faba cv. Fiord)

Faba bean (Vicia faba L. cv. Fiord) plants were raised in agrowth room for 5 weeks and then transplanted to a hydroponicsystem. After 48 h for acclimation, nine plants were removed(day 0) for the measurement of nitrogenase activity by acetylenereduction (AR), for determination of nodule number and noduleweight, volume of the active N₂ fixing region (VAR), and volumeof the senescent N₂, fixing region (VSR). Half the nodule populationon a further 18 plants was excised, and nine of these plantswere assayed for AR. The nine plants from which the noduleshad been removed (treated plants) and nine control plants witha full complement of nodules, were left to grow for 5 d, afterwhich they were all harvested and assayed. The average weight of nodules and VAR remained constant in thecontrol plants between day 0 and day 5, whereas the nodulesleft on the treated plants increased in weight by 1.2 timesand VAR by 2.2 times. By day 5, VAR per plant was the same inthe control plants as in the treated, whereas VSR of controland treated plants increased by 4.6 and 2.2 times, respectively.Removal of half of the nodules at day 0 halved the AR activityper plant, but specific activity remained the same. After 5d, however, the nodules of the treated plants showed the sametotal activity as those of the control. Thus the specific activityof the nodules left on the treated plants doubled after 5 din response to excision. The indeterminate nodule of faba bean appears to be able toincrease its specific activity substantially in response toincrease in the demand for fixed N. N₂ fixation per nodule wasresponsive to substrate supply, in that halving the number ofnodules on a plant induced the remaining nodules to increaseactivity, presumably because they could use the assimilate previouslydistributed over a larger number of nodules. Victa faba, faba bean, nodule number, nodule activity, acetylene reduction, volumes of active and senescent N₂ fixing regions of nodules, hydroponic system     

Effects of NaCl on growth, water status, N2 fixation, and ion distribution in Pterocarpus officinalis seedlings

Pterocarpus officinalis (Fabaceae) dominates in the swamp forests of the Lesser Antilles, submitted to strong variations of soil salinity (30–445 mM). This study aimed to assess the effect of salinity on growth, nodulation, N₂ fixation, water status and ions content in P. officinalis and to clarify the mechanisms involved. Seedlings inoculated or not with two strains from areas of contrasting salinity levels (< to 50 or 445 mM) were watered with 0, 171 and 342 mM solutions of NaCl in greenhouse conditions. Non-inoculated seedlings were tolerant to a salinity of 171 mM, with no significant effect on seedling biomass. Evapotranspiration per unit of leaf area (E/TLa) remained unchanged at 171 mM. Maintenance of a constant E/TLa and especially the control of ion transport to the upper parts of the plant could explain seedling salt tolerance up to intermediate salinity conditions (171 mM). The two strains have a 99.8% genetic identity in spite of differences in their original habitats, this explaining the similar response of the symbiosis to salinity. The higher salt sensitivity of inoculated seedlings was linked to the sensitivity of both Bradyrhizobium strains (reduction of free-living cells) and to that of the nodulation process (fewer nodules and inhibition of N₂-fixation) to intermediate salinity.     

Ammonia Assimilation in Canavalia ensiformis Plants under Water and Salt Stress

Nitrogen fixation and ammonia assimilation in nodules have beenthoroughly studied under stress conditions, but the behaviorof enzymes involved in ammonia assimilation to organic compoundsin plants of the Leguminosae family subjected to stress stillremains to be conclusively established. We found that understress conditions, C. ensiformis plants can switch from theirusual pathway of assimilation to an alternative one dependingon the nature of the stress and the tissue in which the processtakes place. In roots, it switches from the glutamate dehydrogenase(GDH) pathway to the glutamine synthetase (GS)/glutamate synthase(GOGAT) cycle under water stress but not under salt stress.However, in leaves under salt stress, GDH activity is maintainedbut GS activity markedly decreases (Received March 24, 1987; Accepted March 4, 1988)     

The Distribution of Nitrate Assimilation Between Root and Shoot in Vicia faba L.

Nitrate assimilation was examined in two cultivars (Banner Winterand Herz Freya) of Vicia faba L. supplied with a range of nitrateconcentrations. The distribution between root and shoot wasassessed. The cultivars showed responses to increased applied nitrateconcentration. Total plant dry weight and carbon content remainedconstant while shoot: root dry weight ratio, total plant nitrogen,total plant leaf area and specific leaf area (SLA) all increased.The proportion of total plant nitrate and nitrate reductase(NR) activity found in the shoot of both cultivars increasedwith applied nitrate concentrations as did NO₃^–: Kjeldahl-Nratios of xylem sap. The cultivars differed in that a greaterproportion of total plant NR activity occurred in the shootof cv. Herz Freya at all applied nitrate concentrations, andits xylem sap NO₃^–: Kjeldahl-N ratio and SLA were consistentlygreater. It is concluded that the distribution of nitrate assimilationbetween root and shoot of V. faba varies both with cultivarand with external nitrate concentration. Vicia faba L., field bean, nitrate assimilation, nitrate reductase, xylem sap analysis