Nitrate assimilation in leaf blades of wheat of different age

A field experiment on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) ev. Shera grown at 120 kg N ha^?1 was conducted. Half of the dose of fertilizer N was applied at the pre-sowing stage and the other half when the seedlings were one month old. The leaf blades were examined for their NO₃^? content and NO₃^? assimilatory activity at various stages of growth and development. Soil nitrate level at 50 cm depth was determined throughout the wheat growing season in terms of cencentration (μg/ml) and total amount (kg ha^?1). The upper leaf blades were examined for their capacity to assimilate NO₃^?. Highly significant correlation between NR (nitrate reductase) activity and NO₃^? content in the leaf blades. NR activity and soil NO₃^?, and between soil NO₃^? and leaf blade NO₃^? was observed. Findings on low soil NO₃^? status during the reproductive phase and the capacity of the upper leaf blades to assimilate additional amounts of NO₃^?, point to the need for developing a programme of soil fertilizer application whereby all the leaf blades can utilize the NO₃^? optimally and thus result in greater N harvest.     

Response of Eggplant to Nitrogen Supply: Molybdenum-Nitrate Relationships

Greenhouse experiments were conducted in two years (1993–1994) with eggplants supplied with 1, 2 or 4 mM NH₄NO₃ as the N source in order to determine its influence on molybdenum (Mo) and nitrate (NO₃ ^–) content in leaf blades, petioles, and fruits as well as leaf nitrate reductase (NR) activity. The results reveal that 2 and 4 mM NH₄NO₃ altered shoot Mo distribution and thus affecting the NR activity.     

Effects of sodium on mineral nutrition in rose plants

The effects of sodium (Na⁺) ion concentration on shoot elongation, uptake of ammonium (NH₄⁺) and nitrate (NO₃^?) and the activities of nitrate reductase (NR) and glutamine synthetase (GS) were studied in rose plants (Rosa hybrida cv. “Lambada”). The results showed that shoot elongation was negatively correlated with sodium concentration, although no external symptoms of toxicity were observed. Nitrate uptake decreased at high sodium levels, specifically at 30 meq litre4 of sodium. As flower development was normal under high saline conditions, this could suggest that nitrogen was being mobilised from shoot and leaf reserves. Ammonium uptake was not affected by any of the salt treatments applied probably because it diffuses through the cell membrane at low concentrations. Nitrate reductase activity was reduced by 50% at 30 meq litre 1 compared with control treatment, probably due to a decrease in the free nitrate related to nitrate uptake pattern. None of the salt treatments used affected total leaf GS activity (both chloroplastic and cytosolic isoforms) or leaf NPK mineral contents. Nitrate reductase activity in leaves increased at 10 meq litre^?1 of sodium and GS activity in roots (cytosolic isoform only) followed the same pattern as NR. It is suggested that the activation of both enzymes at low salt level could be attributed to the beneficial effect of increased sulphur in the nutrient solutions.     

The effect of some ammonium salts on nitrate reductase level,onin vivo nitrate reduction and on nitrate content in excisedpisum sativum roots

The effect of some ammonium salts on nitrate reductase (NR) level, onin vivo nitrate reduction and on nitrate content was followed in the presence of nitrate in the medium, under changing experimental conditions, in excisedPisum sativum roots, and their effect was compared with that of KNO₃, Ca(NO₃)₂ and NaNO₃ at 15 mM NO₃ ^- concentration, i.e. at a concentration which considerably exceeded the level of saturation with nitrate with respect to nitrate reductase. The effect of ammonium salts on NR level is indirect and changes from a positive one to a strongly negative one which is dependent on the time of action of the salt, on the presence of other cations, on pH of the solution of the ammonium salt and on the nature of the anion of the ammonium salt. A positive effect on the enzyme level can be observed in the presence of other cations than NH₄ ⁺ at suitable concentrations of those ammonium salts, the solutions of which have their pH values in the acid region (i.e. NH₄H₂PO₄, (NH₄)₂SO₄ and NH₄NO₃). However their positive effect is independent of the presence of NH₄ ⁺ ions, and it is obviously the result of an increased concentration of H⁺ ions. A clear-cut negative effect on NR level can be observed after 24 h in one-salt NH₄NO₃ solution where NH₄ ⁺ is not balanced with other cations and thus certainly can adversely influence many metabolic processes, and in the solutions containing neutral (pH 6.2) and dibasic ammonium phosphates in which dissolved undissociated ammonia [(NH₃). (H₂O) which can also affect many metabolic processes incl. proteosynthesis] probably has a toxic influence. Thein vivo nitrate reduction is always depressed in excised pea roots in the presence of ammonium salts in the medium, regardless of the level of nitrate reductase. Under the described conditions, no relationship could be established between the enzyme level and the so-called metabolic NO₃ ^- pool (i.e. NO₂ ^- production under anaerobic conditions), nor between NR level and the total nitrate content in the roots. One-salt solutions of NaNO₃, Ca(NO₃)₂ and KNO₃ exert different effects on the level of nitrate reductase and on the content of NO₃ ^- in the roots, but the in vivo NO₃ ^- reduction shows the same trend as NR level in the roots influenced by these salts. Cl^- ions, supplied in NH₄C1, depress both NR level and NO₃ ^- content in the roots at higher concentrations, but they do not significantly affect the in vivo nitrate reduction in comparison with other ammonium salts. These results indicate that NR level,in vivo nitrate reduction, and nitrate uptake can be regulated in pea roots independently of each other.     

Effect of one night with "low light'on uptake, reduction and storage of nitrate in spinach

During the night, shoot nitrate concentration in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L. cv. Vroeg Reuzenblad) increased due to increased uptake of nitrate by the roots. When the plants were subjected to a one night “low light’period at 35 μmol m^?2 s^?1, the shoot nitrate concentration did not increase and was reduced by 25% compared to control plants in the dark. The major contribution to this decrease was located in the leaf blades, where the nitrate concentration was decreased by 60%, while the petiole nitrate concentration decreased by only 9%. Nitrate accumulated in the leaf blade vacuoles during a dark night, but this was not the case during the “low light’period. This decrease in vacuolar nitrate concentration, compared to control plants in the dark, was not caused by increased amounts of leaf blade nitrate reductase (NR; EC 1.6.6.1). During a “low light’night period, the cytoplasmic soluble carbohydrate concentration was increased compared to the control plants in the dark. Calculations showed in situ NR activity to be higher than in the control plants in the dark. This increase in NR activity, however, was not large enough to account for the total difference found in the shoot nitrate concentration. Net uptake of nitrate by the roots was increased during the initial hours of the dark night, while vacuolar nitrate concentration in the leaf blades increased at the same time. During the “low light’night period, however, net uptake of nitrate by the roots did not increase, and vacuolar nitrate concentration did not change. We conclude that nitrate uptake by the roots and vacuolar nitrate concentration in the leaf blades are tightly coupled. The decreased shoot nitrate concentration is mainly caused by a reduction in net uptake of nitrate by the roots. During the “low light’night period, carbohydrates and malic acid partly replaced vacuolar nitrate. A “low light’period one night prior to harvest provides a valuable tool to reduce shoot nitrate concentrations in spinach grown in greenhouses in the winter months.     

Nitrate reductase activity and growth in Paul's Scarlet rose suspension cultures in relation to nitrogen source and molybdenum

Growth and nitrate reductase activity were measured in Paul's Scarlet rose cell suspensions, cultured in media purified from molybdenum and containing nitrate or urea as sole nitrogen source with or without added Mo. Urea could replace nitrate to yield 80% of the fresh weight in nitrate medium. Nitrate reductase activities were compared by in vivo and in vitro assays. The latter varied due to inactivation during extraction. Compared with activities in cells in complete NO₃ ^- medium, activity in NO₃ ^--Mo cells was reduced to 30% and, in urea-grown cells, to trace amounts. Increases in nitrate reductase activity were found when NO₃ ^- alone was added to NO₃ ^- or urea+Mo cultures. In NO₃ ^--Mo cultures, Mo alone or with NO₃ ^- caused a similar increase in activity, whereas urea-Mo cultures required both NO₃ ^- and Mo for enzyme induction.Abbreviations FAD flavin adenine dinucleotide - Mo molybdenum - NADH reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide - NO₃ ^-+Mo standard MX₁ culture medium - NO₃ ^--Mo MX₁ medium purified of Mo and used for continuous subculture with nitrate - NR nitrate reductase - PSR Paul's Scarlet rose - PVP polyvinylpyrrolidone - U urea - U+Mo MX₁ medium containing urea instead of nitrate - U-Mo MX₁ medium containing urea instead of nitrate and also purified of Mo     

Ammonium can stimulate nitrate and nitrite reductase in the absence of nitrate in Clematis vitalba

Nitrogen assimilation was studied in the deciduous, perennial climber Clematis vitalba. When solely supplied with NO₃^– in a hydroponic system, growth and N-assimilation characteristics were similar to those reported for a range of other species. When solely supplied with NH₄⁺, however, nitrate reductase (NR) activity dramatically increased in shoot tissue, and particularly leaf tissue, to up to three times the maximum level achieved in NO₃^– supplied plants. NO₃^– was not detected in plant material that had been solely supplied with NH₄⁺, there was no NO₃^– contamination of the hydroponic system, and the NH₄⁺-induced activity did not occur in tobacco or barley grown under similar conditions. Western Blot analysis revealed that the induction of NR activity, either by NO₃^– or NH₄⁺, was matched by NR and nitrite reductase protein synthesis, but this was not the case for the ammonium assimilation enzyme glutamine synthetase. Exposure of leaf disks to N revealed that NO₃^– assimilation was induced in leaves directly by NO₃^– and NH₄⁺ but not glutamine. Our results suggest that the NH₄⁺-induced potential for NO₃^– assimilation occurs when externally sourced NH₄⁺ is assimilated in the absence of any NO₃^– assimilation. These data show that the potential for nitrate assimilation in C. vitalba is induced by a nitrogenous compound in the absence of its substrate and suggest that NO₃^– assimilation in C. vitalba may have a significant role beyond the supply of reduced N for growth.     

Sulfur deprivation and nitrogen metabolism in maize seedlings

The objective of this experiment was to elucidate the manner in which N metabolism is influenced by S nutrition. Maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings supplied with Hoagland solution minus SO₄²⁻ exhibited S deficiency symptoms 12 days after emergence. Prior to development of these symptoms, a decline in leaf blade nitrate reductase (NR, EC 1.6.6.1) activity was observed in S-deprived seedlings compared to normal seedlings. Twelve days after emergence, in vitro NR activity was diminished 50% compared to normal seedlings. Glutamine synthetase (EC 6.3.1.2) and NAD-glutamate dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.1.2) activities were less severely affected (19 and 13%, respectively, at day 12). NADP-glutamate dehydrogenase (EC 1.4.1.4) activity and leaf blade fresh weight were not altered by S deprivation. Concentrations of soluble protein and chlorophyll (a and b) in leaf blades were reduced 18 and 25%, respectively, at day 12. A significantly higher concentration of NO₃⁻-N was observed for leaf blade and stem (culms, leaf sheaths, and unfurled leaves) fractions (46 and 31%, respectively) in S-deprived plants. In contrast to the other parameters measured, NR activity in S-deprived seedlings could be readily restored to the normal level by addition of SO₄²⁻. The apparent preferential effect of S deprivation on NR activity could be causally related to the observed changes in NO₃⁻-N and soluble protein concentration.     

Relationships between Carbon Dioxide, Malate, and Nitrate Accumulation and Reduction in Corn (Zea mays L.) Seedlings

The observation that exposure of the leaf canopy to increasing concentrations of CO₂ (100-400 μl/l) decreases the influx of nitrate to the leaf blades, but not to the roots or stalks (largely leaf sheaths), was reconfirmed using ¹⁵NO₃⁻. Decreases in leaf nitrate supply were associated with decreases in induction of nitrate reductase, thus supporting the view that the influx of nitrate to a tissue is a major factor in regulation of the level of nitrate reductase. The whole plant ¹⁵N distribution data show that the CO₂ effects were due to decreased influx of nitrate into the leaf blade rather than CO₂-enhanced nitrate reduction. The decreases in nitrate accumulation by the leaf blade with increases in CO₂ concentration were only partially accounted for by differences in transpiration. Because the initial malate concentration of root tissue (detopped plants) had no subsequent effect on nitrate uptake, it seems unlikely that high levels of malate induced by CO₂ were responsible for the exclusion of nitrate from the leaf blades.     

Limitations on Leaf Nitrate Reductase Activity during Flowering and Podfill in Soybean

The objective of this study was to identify factors which limit leaf nitrate reductase (NR) activity as decline occurs during flowering and beginning seed development in soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr. cv Clark). Level of NR enzyme activity, level of reductant, and availability of NO₃⁻ as substrate were evaluated for field-grown soybean from flowering through leaf senescence. Timing of reproductive development was altered within one genotype by (a) exposure of Clark to an artificially short photoperiod to hasten flowering and podfill, and (b) the use of an early flowering isoline. Nitrogen (N) was soil-applied to selected plots at 500 kilograms per hectare as an additional variable. Stem NO₃⁻ concentration and in vivo leaf NR activity were significantly correlated (R² = 0.69 with nitrate in the assay medium and 0.74 without nitrate in the medium at P = 0.001) across six combinations of reproductive and soil N-treatment. The supply of NO₃⁻ from the root to the leaf tissue was the primary limitation to leaf NR activity during flowering and podfill. Levels of NR enzyme and reductant were not limiting to leaf NR activity during this period.     

The effect of root temperature on the induction of nitrate reductase activities and nitrogen uptake rates in arctic plant species

We investigated whether six arctic plant species have the potential to induce nitrate reductase (NR) activity when exposed to NO₃ ^--nitrogen under controlled environment conditions, using an in vivo assay that uses the rate of NO₂ ^--accumulation to estimate potential NR activity. We also assessed the effect of low root temperatures on NR activity, growth and nitrogen uptake (using ¹⁵N applications) in two of the selected species. Five of the six species (Cerastium alpinum, Dryas intergrifolia, Oxyria digyna, Saxifraga cernua and Salix arctica) were capable of inducing NR activity when exposed to solutions containing 0.5 mM NO₃ ^- at 20°C for 10 days. Although in vivo NR activity was not induced in Saxifraga oppositifolia under controlled conditions, we conclude that it was capable of growing successfully on NO₃ ^-, due to the presence of moderate rates of NR activity observed in both NH₄ ⁺-grown and NO₃ ^--treated plants. Exposure of O. digyna and D. integrifolia to 3°C root temperatures for two weeks, with the shoots kept at 20°C, resulted in root and leaf NR activity rates of NO₃ ^--treated plants being reduced to rates exhibited by NH₄ ⁺-grown plants. Although these decreases in NR in both species appeared to be due to limitations in NO₃ ^--uptake and growth rate (rather than direct low-temperature inhibition of NR synthesis per se), direct low-temperature inhibition of root NR synthesis could not be ruled out. In contrast to the temperature insensitivity of NH₄ ⁺ uptake in D. integrifolia, NO₃ ^--uptake in D. integrifolia was inhibited by low root temperatures. We conclude that the selected arctic species have the genetic potential to utilize NO₃ ^--nitrogen, and that low root temperatures, in conjunction with other environmental limitations, may be responsible for the lack of induction of NR in D. integrifolia and Salix arctica under field conditions.     

Effects of the Fungal Endophyte Acremonium coenophialum on Nitrogen Accumulation and Metabolism in Tall Fescue

Infection by the fungal endophyte Acremonium coenophialum affected the accumulation of inorganic and organic N in leaf blades and leaf sheaths of KY 31 tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) grown under greenhouse conditions. Total soluble amino acid concentrations were increased in either the blade or sheath of the leaf from infected plants. A number of amino acids were significantly increased in the sheath, but only asparagine increased in the blade. Infection resulted in higher sheath NH₄⁺ concentrations, whereas NO₃⁻ concentrations decreased in both leaf parts. The effects on amino acid, NO₃⁻, and NH₄⁺ concentrations were dependent upon the level of N fertilization and were usually apparent only at the high rate (10 millimolar) of application. Administration of ¹⁴CO₂ to the leaf blades increased the accumulation of ¹⁴C in their amino acid fraction but not in the sheaths of infected plants. This may indicate that infection increased amino acid synthesis in the blade but that translocation to the sheath, which is the site of fungal colonization, was not affected. Glutamine synthetase activity was greater in leaf blades of infected plants at high and low N rates of fertilization, but nitrate reductase activity was not affected in either part of the leaf. Increased activities of glutamine synthetase together with the other observed changes in N accumulation and metabolism in endophyte-infected tall fescue suggest that NH₄⁺ reassimilation could also be affected in the leaf blade.     

不同生境盐地碱蓬对氮饥饿的响应

为了探讨不同生境盐地碱蓬对低氮生境的适应机制,测定了盐渍环境下(200 mmol/L Na Cl)不同浓度硝态氮(0.3、5 mmol/L NO~-_3-N)预处理两种生境盐地碱蓬经氮饥饿后的NO~-_3含量、硝酸还原酶(NR)活性、光合特性及生长状况。结果表明,0.3和5 mmol/L NO~-_3-N处理以及进行氮饥饿时,潮间带生境盐地碱蓬叶片NO~-_3含量均高于内陆生境盐地碱蓬。与内陆生境盐地碱蓬相比,氮饥饿后,潮间带生境盐地碱蓬叶绿素含量、NR活性和光合放氧速率下降幅度均小于内陆生境盐地碱蓬,在0.3mmol/L NO~-_3-N预处理进行氮饥饿时趋势更加明显。0.3 mmol/L NO~-_3-N预处理后氮饥饿对潮间带生境盐地碱蓬根冠比没有影响,却降低内陆生境盐地碱蓬根冠比。上述结果表明,低氮条件下潮间带生境盐地碱蓬具有较高的NO~-_3储存能力,在环境持续氮素缺乏时具有较高的NO~-_3-N再利用能力,能更好地维持氮代谢以及光合性能。说明潮间带生境盐地碱蓬能更好地适应低氮生境。     

Soybean mutants lacking constitutive nitrate reductase activity : I. Selection and initial plant characterization

The objectives of this study were to select and initially characterize mutants of soybean (Glycine max L. Merr. cv Williams) with decreased ability to reduce nitrate. Selection involved a chlorate screen of approximately 12,000 seedlings (progeny of mutagenized seed) and subsequent analyses for low nitrate reductase (LNR) activity. Three lines, designated LNR-2, LNR-3, and LNR-4, were selected by this procedure.

In growth chamber studies, the fully expanded first trifoliolate leaf from NO₃⁻-grown LNR-2, LNR-3, and LNR-4 plants had approximately 50% of the wild-type NR activity. Leaves from urea-grown LNR-2, LNR-3, and LNR-4 plants had no NR activity while leaves from comparable wild-type plants had considerable activity; the latter activity does not require the presence of NO₃⁻ in the nutrient solution for induction and on this basis is tentatively considered as a constitutive enzyme. Summation of constitutive (urea-grown wild-type plants) and inducible (NO₃⁻-grown LNR-2, LNR-3, or LNR-4 plants) leaf NR activities approximated activity in leaves of NO₃⁻-grown wild-type plants. Root NR activities were comparable in wild-type and mutant plants grown on NO₃⁻, and roots of both plant types lacked constitutive NR activity when grown on urea. In both growth chamber- and field-grown plants, oxides of nitrogen [NO_(x)] were evolved from young leaves of wild-type plants, but not from leaves of LNR-2 plants, during in vivo NR assays. Analysis of leaves from different canopy locations showed that constitutive NR activity was confined to the youngest three fully expanded leaves of the wild-type plant and, therefore, on a total plant canopy basis, the NR activity of LNR-2 plants was approximately 75% that of wild-type plants. It is concluded that: (a) the NR activity in leaves of NO₃⁻-grown wild-type plants includes both constitutive and inducible activity; (b) the missing NR activity in LNR-2, LNR-3, and LNR-4 leaves is the constitutive component; and (c) the constitutive NR activity is associated with NO_(x) evolution and occurs only in physiologically young leaves.

     

Time-course of Nitrate Uptake and Nitrate Reductase Activity in Nitrogen-depleted Dwarf Bean

The rate of nitrate uptake by N-depleted French dwarf bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Witte Krombek) increased steadily during the first 6 h after addition of NO₃ -After this initial phase the rale remained constant for many hours. Detached root systems showed the same time-course of uptake as roots of intact plants. In vivo nitrate reductase activity (NRA) was assayed with or without exogenous NO₃^- in the incubation medium and the result ing activities were denoted potential and actual level, respectively. In roots the difference between actual and potential NRA disappeared within 15 min after addition of nitrate, and NRA increased for about 15 h. Both potential and actual NRA were initially very low. In leaves, however, potential NRA was initially very high and was not affected by ambient nitrate (0.1–5 mol m^-3) for about 10 h. Actual and potential leaf NRA became equal after the same period of time. In the course of nitrate nutrition, the two nitrate reductase activities in leaves were differentially inhibited by cycloheximide (3.6 mmol m^-3) and tungstate (1 mol m^-3). We suggest that initial potential NRA reflects the activity of pre-existing enzyme, whereas actual NRA depends on enzyme assembly during NO₃^- supply. Apparent induction of nitrate uptake and most (85%) of the actual in vivo NRA occurred in the root system during the first 6 h of nitrate utilization by dwarf bean.     

Assimilatory nitrate uptake in Pseudomonas fluorescens studied using nitrogen-13

The mechanism of nitrate uptake for assimilation in procaryotes is not known. We used the radioactive isotope, ¹³N as NO₃ ^-, to study this process in a prevalent soil bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens. Cultures grown on ammonium sulfate or ammonium nitrate failed to take up labeled nitrate, indicating ammonium repressed synthesis of the assimilatory enzymes. Cultures grown on nitrite or under ammonium limitation had measurable nitrate reductase activity, indicating that the assimilatory enzymes need not be induced by nitrate. In cultures with an active nitrate reductase, the form of ¹³N internally was ammonium and amino acids; the amino acid labeling pattern indicated that ¹³NO₃ ^- was assimilated via glutamine synthetase and glutamate synthase. Cultures grown on tungstate to inactivate the reductase concentrated NO₃ ^- at least sixfold. Chlorate had no effect on nitrate transport or assimilation, nor on reduction in cell-free extracts. Ammonium inhibited nitrate uptake in cells with and without active nitrate reductases, but had no effect on cell-free nitrate reduction, indicating the site of inhibition was nitrate transport into the cytoplasm. Nitrate assimilation in cells grown on nitrate and nitrate uptake into cells grown with tungstate on nitrite both followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with similar K _mvalues, 7 M. Both azide and cyanide inhibited nitrate assimilation. Our findings suggest that Pseudomonas fluorescens can take up nitrate via active transport and that nitrate assimilation is both inhibited and repressed by ammonium.     

In Vivo Determination of Parameters of Nitrate Utilization in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Seedlings Grown with Low Concentration of Nitrate in the Nutrient Solution

Six genotypes of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) differing in grain protein concentration were grown on a nutrient solution containing low concentrations of NO₃⁻ (2 millimolar). Total NO₃⁻ uptake varied between genotypes but was not related to grain protein content. An in vivo nitrate reductase assay was used to determine the affinity of the enzyme for NO₃⁻, and large phenotypic variations were observed. In vivo estimations of the concentration and size of the metabolic pool were variable. However, the three genotypes with the higher ratios of metabolic pool size to leaf total NO₃⁻ concentration were the high protein varieties. It is proposed that a high affinity of nitrate reductase for nitrate might be a biochemical marker for the capacity of the plant to continue assimilating NO₃⁻ for a longer period during the last stage of growth.     

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     

Nitrate reductase inactivating factor from rice seedlings

A nitrate reductase inactivating factor was found in extractsof leaf blades, leaf sheaths, and roots of rice seedlings. Thefactor was nondialyzable, precipitable with (NH₄)₂SO₄, and heatlabile. The factor from rice roots inactivated NADH nitratereductase, FMNH2 nitrate reductase, and NADH cytochrome c reductasefrom rice shoots, but had no effect on the activities of NADHdiaphorase and nitrite reductase. The factors from rice shoots,rice roots, and maize roots inactivated NADH nitrate reductaseprepared from cultured rice cells. The factor from culturedrice cells also inactivated rice shoot NADH nitrate reductase. The activity of the inactivating factor showed a diurnal changein shoots of rice seedlings grown with NO₃– medium, althoughthe fluctuation was not large compared to that of NADH nitratereductase activity. When the seedlings were placed in darkness,the activity of the factor did not change during 20 hr withNO₃– medium. However, the activity of the factor fluctuatedwith NO₃– -free medium in light; its activity startedto increase at the 8th hour after transfer. NADH nitrate reductaseactivity from rice shoots declined rapidly during the first8 hr and gradually thereafter in both types of culture. (Received August 24, 1977; )     

Content of Oxalate in Actinidia Deliciosa Plants Grown in Nutrient Solutions with Different Nitrogen Forms

Kiwifruit plants (Actinidia deliciosa cv. Hayward) were grown in Hoagland nutrient solution with calcium nitrate, potassium nitrate, ammonium nitrate or ammonium chloride as the nitrogen source. Plants grown in the solution with nitrate nitrogen displayed a higher oxalate content, greater shoot length and leaf area, and higher content of ascorbic acid and NO₃ ^– ions in the leaves. Plants grown in the solution with ammonium nitrate, and particularly with ammonium chloride, showed low oxalate content, low content of ascorbic acid and NO₃ ^–, high content of Cl^– and Na⁺, low shoot length and leaf area. Oxalate formation appeared to be connected with the assimulation of nitrate, more precisely with nitrate reduction, while ammonium nitrogen assimilation did not induce the synthesis of oxalic acid.