Nitrate translocation by detopped corn seedlings

Five-day-old seedlings of corn (Zealpha mays L.) grown without nitrate were decapitated and exposed to 0.5 mm KNO(3) or 0.5 mm KCl in aerated solutions at 30 C. Uptake of nitrate, chloride, and potassium was determined by replacing solutions hourly and measuring their depletion. Translocation of these ions and of organic nitrogen was determined by hourly analysis of the vascular exudate. Nitrate reduction was estimated by the difference between nitrate uptake and nitrate recovered in the tissue and exudate. Nitrate uptake exhibited its usual pattern of apparent induction resulting in the development of an accelerated uptake phase. Chloride uptake remained fairly constant throughout the experimental period. Translocation of nitrate increased progressively for at least 7 hours whereas chloride translocation reached a maximum about the 3d hour and then declined to a lower rate than nitrate translocation. Nitrate uptake and translocation were restricted by anaerobiosis, by 20 and 40 C relative to 30 C, and by 0.05 mm 6-methylpurine, an RNA-synthesis inhibitor. Accumulation, reduction and translocation of nitrate had different sensitivities to all these factors. The effect of 0.05 mm 6-methylpurine was more detrimental to nitrate translocation and nitrate reduction than to nitrate uptake.Ambient nitrate, relative to chloride, enhanced the exudation volume and the translocation of organic nitrogen within 4 hours from initiation of the experiments. Translocation of nitrate and organic nitrogen decreased shortly after removal of external nitrate. The higher rates of organic nitrogen translocation which occurred during nitrate uptake indicates either (a) rapid translocation of amino acids synthesized from the entering nitrate, or (b) an accelerated rate of protein turnover and a resulting enhancement in translocation of endogenous amino acids.     

Effects of Exposure to Ammonium and Transplant Shock upon the Induction of Nitrate Absorption

In barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv Steptoe) seedlings, the time course for induction of root nitrate absorption varied significantly with pretreatment. Net nitrate uptake of nitrogen-deprived plants more than doubled during the 12 hours after first exposure to nitrate. For these plants, gentle physical disturbance of the roots inhibited net nitrate absorption for more than 6 hours and potassium absorption for 2 hours. Pretreatment with ammonium appeared sufficient to induce nitrate absorption; plants either grown for 2 weeks on or exposed for only 10 hours to a medium containing ammonium as a sole nitrogen source showed high rates of net nitrate uptake when first shifted to a medium containing nitrate. Gentle physical manipulation of these plants inhibited nitrate absorption for 2 hours and potassium absorption for more than 12 hours. These results indicate (a) that experimental protocols should avoid physical manipulation of the roots when-ever possible and (b) that ammonium or a product of ammonium assimilation can induce nitrate absorption.     

Accelerated Nitrate Uptake in Wheat Seedlings: Effects of Ammonium and Nitrite Pretreatments and of 6-Methylpurine and Puromycin

The experiments reported herein had two objectives. One was to determine if the slow rate of nitrate uptake which occurs upon initial exposure of nitrogen-depleted wheat (Triticum vulgare cv. Knox) plants to nitrate was the result of insufficient reduced nitrogen. The second was to determine the impact of restrictions in ribonucleic acid or protein synthesis on both nitrate uptake and nitrate reduction. Pretreatments of 14-day-old seedlings for a few hours in ammonium or nitrite did not result in an enhancement of the initial slow rate of nitrate uptake. Growth for two additional weeks in ammonium also failed to eliminate the induction period. The evidence indicates that the presence of nitrate, rather than a product of its reduction, was required to initiate development of the accelerated rate of nitrate uptake. Puromycin (400 μg ml^?1) and 6-methylpurine (0.5 mM) prevented development of the accelerated phase of nitrate uptake. With both compounds, the relative restriction of nitrate uptake was greater than that of nitrate reduction as revealed by incorporation of ¹⁵N from labeled nitrate into reduced forms. The proportion of reduction which occurred in the root system under the imposed treatments could not be delineated precisely, preventing an unequivocal determination of the extent to which the two processes are coupled in the root system. The data nevertheless indicate nitrate reduction was closely associated with nitrate uptake. Accumulation of nitrate in the shoots was markedly restricted in presence of 6 methylpurine. This effect most likely was a result of a severe restriction in the translocation of nitrate into the xylem, rather than an increase in the reduction rate in the shoots.     

p-Fluorophenylalanine-Induced Restriction of Ion Uptake and Assimilation by Maize Roots

Roots of decapitated maize seedlings (Zea mays L.) were exposed for 12 hours to 1.0 millimolar KNO₃ (98.5 atom per cent ¹⁵N) in the presence and absence (control) of 0.1 millimolar p-fluorophenylalanine (FPA), an analog of the amino acid phenylalanine. FPA decreased nitrate uptake but had little effect on potassium uptake. In contrast, accumulation of both ions in the xylem exudate was greatly restricted. The proportion of reduced ¹⁵N-nitrogen that was translocated at each time was also restricted by FPA. These observations are interpreted as indicating that synthesis of functional protein(s) is required for nitrate uptake and for transport of potassium, nitrate, and reduced-¹⁵N from xylem parenchyma cells into xylem elements. The effect of FPA on nitrate reduction is less clear. Initially, FPA limited nitrate reduction more than nitrate uptake, but by 8 hours the cumulative reduction of entering nitrate was similar (~35%) in both control and FPA-treated roots. A relationship between nitrate uptake and nitrate reduction is implied. It is suggested that nitrate influx regulates the proportion of nitrate reductase in the active state, and thereby regulates concurrent nitrate reduction in decapitated maize seedlings.     

Nitrate Uptake and Partitioning by Corn Root Systems : Differential Effects of Ammonium among Genotypes and Stages of Root Development

The relative effects of ammonium on nitrate uptake and partitioning during induction were compared among decapitated seedlings of three corn (Zea mays L.) genotypes at two developmental stages. This study tested the hypothesis that root systems efficient at translocating products of ammonium assimilation away from sites of nitrate uptake or reduction would exhibit less inhibition of nitrate uptake by ammonium compared to root systems with inefficient N translocation efficiency. Inhibition of nitrate uptake by ammonium was relatively slight at day 5 ranging from 0% to 20% among the three genotypes, as compared to greater inhibition, from 20% to 37%, at day 8. Five-day-old roots exhibited negligible xylem translocation capacity in comparison with those grown for 8 days. Thus, although the capability to translocate ammonium assimilates out of the root increased between days 5 and 8, inhibitory effects of ammonium also increased. In the absence of ammonium, nitrate uptake per unit root mass increased between days 5 and 8. This increased activity of the uptake system was proportionally more sensitive to ammonium.

Partitioning of entering nitrate into the reduction process was positively correlated with lateral root development of the inbred root systems at 5 and 8 days. This is supportive of a localization of a major portion of nitrate reduction occurring in root apical regions. Nitrate reduction was the partitioning process most severely inhibited by ammonium in all cases, ranging from 39% to 55% inhibition. In contrast, ammonium-inhibition of nitrate accumulation in the root tissue and translocation via xylem vessels varied with genotype and root age.

Two mechanisms of ammonium-inhibition of nitrate are implicated, one which directly affects nitrate reduction and the uptake system associated with it, and another which may involve potassium as an intermediate regulator of nitrate accumulation in the root tissue and nitrate translocation out of the root tissue.

     

Interactions between nitrate and ammonium during uptake by carob seedlings and the effect of the form of earlier nitrogen nutrition

Seedlings of carob ( Ceratonia siliqua L. cv. Mulata) were used in two sets of experiments in order to evaluate; (1) the reciprocal effects of each nitrogen form on net uptake of nitrate and ammonium, and (2) the effect of earlier nitrogen nutrition on ammonium versus nitrate uptake. In the former group of experiments we studied the kinetics of nitrate and ammonium uptake as well as the interference of each of the two forms with net uptake of ammonium and nitrate by both nitrogen depleted and nitrogen fed carob seedlings. On the whole, nitrogen depletion led to increase in both affinity and V_max of the system for both forms of nitrogen, at the same time as the effects of nitrate on uptake of ammonium and vice versa were concentration dependent. In the second group of experiments the effects of earlier nitrogen nutrition on nitrate and ammonium uptake were characterized, and in this case we observed that: (a) if only one form of N was supplied, ammonium was taken up in greater amounts than nitrate; (b) the presence of ammonium enhanced nitrate uptake; (c) ammonium uptake was inhibited by nitrate; (d) there was a significant effect of the earlier nitrogen nutrition on the response of the plants to a different nitrogen source. The latter was evident mainly as regards ammonium uptake by plants grown in ammonium nitrate. The interactions between nitrate and ammonium uptake systems are discussed on the basis of the adaptation to the nitrogen source during early growth.     

Preferential Assimilation of Ammonium Ions from Ammonium Nitrate Solutions by Apple Seedlings

Apple seedlings, Pyrus malus L., were grown in complete nutrient solutions containing nitrate, ammonium, or ammonium plus nitrate as the nitrogen source. Uptake of nitrogen was calculated from depletion measurements of the nutrient solutions and by using ¹⁵N labelled nitrate and ammonium salts. If the plants received nitrogen as ammonium only or as nitrate only, the amounts of nitrogen taken up were similar. However, if the seedlings were supplied with ammonium nitrate, the amount of nitrate-nitrogen assimilated was only half that of ammonium. Nevertheless, if ammonium and nitrate were supplied to a plant with a split-root system, with each root half receiving a different ion, the uptakes were similar. The possibility of independent inhibition by ammonium of both nitrate uptake and reduction in the roots is discussed.     

Nitrogen-stimulated potassium influx into maize roots: differential response of components resistant and sensitive to ambient ammonium1

Abstract Potassium (⁸⁶Rb) influx from 200 mmol m ^?3 KCl into dark grown, decapitated maize seedlings 6 d old) was stimulated by nitrate pretreatment. The stimulus was clearly evident by 6h exposure to nitrate and required 12–24 h for maximal expression. Decay of the nitrate-stimulated potassium influx was more than 50% complete within 3 h after transfer to nitrogen-free solutions. The stimulation of potassium influx was entirely accounted for by an increase in the influx component that was resistant to inhibition by presence of 200 mmol m^?3 ambient ammonium. In contrast, the component of potassium influx that was sensitive to inhibition by ambient ammonium was unaffected by nitrate pretreatment. Exposure to the glutamine synthetase inhibitor L-methionine-dl-sulphoximine (MSX) during nitrate pretreatment stimulated the resistant component but the sensitive component was nearly eliminated. Pretreatment with ammonium increased the resistant component of potassium influx within 3 h, i.e. before it was increased by nitrate pretreatment, but the sensitive component was concomitantly restricted. The latter recovered partially during extended pretreatment with ammonium. The data indicate that the resistant component responded positively to increases in tissue ammonium concentrations whereas the sensitive component was unaffected by tissue ammonium except at concentrations in excess of 10μmol g^?1. Ammonium influx was also stimulated by nitrate pretreatment and to a greater extent than potassium influx. Presence of MSX with nitrate during pretreatment resulted in a further stimulation in ammonium influx. The parallel increases in root ammonium concentrations with the two pretreatments imply that part of the increase in ammonium influx was a consequnce of increased counter-transport with endogenous ammonium.     

Effects of Nitrate and Ammonium on Gene Expression of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase and Nitrogen Metabolism in Maize Leaf Tissue during Recovery from Nitrogen Stress

We previously showed that the selective accumulation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) in photosynthetically maturing maize (Zea mays L.) leaf cells induced by nitrate supply to nitrogen-starved plants was primarily a consequence of the level of its mRNA (B Sugiharto, K Miyata, H Nakamoto, H Sasakawa, T Sugiyama [1990] Plant Physiol 92: 963-969). To determine the specificity of inorganic nitrogen sources for the regulation of PEPC gene expression, nitrate (16 millimolar) or ammonium (6 millimolar) was supplied to plants grown previously in low nitrate (0.8 millimolar), and changes in the level of PEPC and its mRNA were measured in the basal region of the youngest, fully developed leaves of plants during recovery from nitrogen stress. The exogenous supply of nitrogen selectively increased the levels of protein and mRNA for PEPC. This increase was more pronounced in plants supplemented with ammonium than with nitrate. The accumulation of PEPC during nitrogen recovery increased in parallel with the increase in the activity of glutamine synthetase and/or ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthase. Among the major amino acids, glutamine was the most influenced during recovery, and its level increased in parallel with the steady-state level of PEPC mRNA for 7 hours after nitrogen supply. The administration of glutamine (12 millimolar) to nitrogen-starved plants increased the steady-state level of PEPC mRNA 7 hours after administration, whereas 12 millimolar glutamate decreased the level of PEPC mRNA. The results indicate that glutamine and/or its metabolite(s) can be a positive control on the nitrogen-dependent regulation of PEPC gene expression in maize leaf cells.     

Response of conifer seedlings to nitrate and ammonium sources of nitrogen

Summary Differences in growth responses of Douglas fir, western hemlock, Sitka spruce, and white spruce to nitrate and ammonium N sources were examined in sand culture and artificial soil culture. Effects of the two forms of N on growth, needle area, and N uptake of three Douglas fir halb-sib progenies were examined in a second sand culture. Response of Douglas fir to the two forms of N was followed over two years in nursery soil of different pH levels. In sand culture 1 mean seedling dry weight of all species, except hemlock, was greatest when ammonium N and nitrate N were provided in equal amounts. In all species, except Sitka spruce, ammonium alone resulted in greater growth than nitrate alone. Use of ammonium N resulted in greater growth of all species, than was obtained with nitrate N, at pH values in the region 5.4 and 7.5 in artificial soil culture. Only Douglas fir showed substantial differences due to N source below pH 5. Growth of all species was greater at pH 5.4 than at 7.5 in each N source treatment. Growth of Douglas fir seedlings was greatest with ammonium N and least with nitrate N in sand culture 2. Supply of nitrate and ammonium in equal proportions resulted in intermediate growth. Leaf area/plant weight ratio was unaffected by N source. Analysis of nutrient solutions showed appreciable nitrification of ammonium N during the 7 days between solution changes. In the three greenhouse experiments, with little exception, increase in proportion of ammonium in N supply resulted in increase of seedling tissue N concentration. This effect was more pronounced in roots than shoots. Total N uptake by ammonium fed seedlings was about double the N uptake of nitrate fed seedlings in sand culture 2. Nursery grown Douglas fir seedlings showed greater growth response to ammonium sulphate than to calcium nitrate, and this appeared due entirely to form of N supply in the first year. A similar response in the second year was partly due to greater soil acidification by ammonium sulphate. Compared with calcium nitrate, ammonium sulphate increased N concentration of one-year old shoots, but this difference was not detected by foliar analysis of two-year old seedlings.     

Restricted nitrate influx and reduction in corn seedlings exposed to ammonium

The effect of ambient ammonium (0.5 millimolar [¹⁴NH₄]₂SO₄) added to a nutrient solution containing 1.0 millimolar K¹⁵NO₃, 99 atom per cent ¹⁵N, upon [¹⁵N]nitrate assimilation and utilization of previously accumulated [¹⁴N]nitrate was investigated. Corn seedlings, 5-day-old dark-grown decapitated (experiment I) and 10-day-old light-grown intact (experiment II), which had previously been grown on K¹⁴NO₃ nutrient solution, were used. In both experiments, the presence of ambient ammonium decreased [¹⁵N]nitrate influx (20% after 6 hours) without significantly affecting the efflux of previously accumulated [¹⁴N]nitrate. In experiment I, relative reduction of [¹⁵N]nitrate (reduction as a percentage of influx) was inhibited more than was [¹⁵N]nitrate influx. Nevertheless, in experiment I, where all reduction could be assigned to the root system, the absolute inhibition of reduction during the 12 hours (13 micromoles/root) was less than the absolute inhibition in influx (24 micromoles/root). The data suggest that the influence of ammonium on [¹⁵N]nitrate influx could not be totally accounted for by the decrease in the potential driving force which resulted from restricted reduction; an additional impact on the influx process is indicated. Reduction of [¹⁵N]nitrate in experiment II after 6 hours accounted for 30 and 18% of the tissue excess ¹⁵N in the control and ammonium treatments, respectively. Relative distribution of ¹⁵N between roots and exudate (experiment I), or between roots and shoots (experiment II) was not affected by ammonium. On the other hand, the accumulation of [¹⁵N]nitrate in roots, shoots, and xylem exudate was enhanced by ammonium treatment compared to the control, whereas the accumulation of reduced ¹⁵N was inhibited.     

Correlated induction of nitrate uptake and membrane polypeptides in corn roots

Induction of corn (Zea mays L.) seedling root membrane polypeptides was studied by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis in relation to induction of nitrate uptake. When nitrate uptake was studied using freshly harvested roots from 4-day old corn seedlings, a steady state rate of uptake was achieved after a lag of 2 to 3 hours. The plasma membrane fraction from freshly harvested roots (uninduced) and roots pretreated in 5 millimolar nitrate for 2.5 or 5 hours (induced) showed no differences in the major polypeptides with Coomassie blue staining. Autoradiography of the ³⁵S-methionine labeled proteins, however, showed four polypeptides with approximate molecular masses of 165, 95, 70, and 40 kilodaltons as being induced by both 2.5 and 5-hour pretreatment in 5 millimolar nitrate. All four polypeptides appeared to be integral membrane proteins as shown by Triton X-114 (octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol) washing of the membrane vesicles. Autoradiography of the two-dimensional gels revealed that several additional low molecular weight proteins were induced. A 5-hour pretreatment in 5 millimolar chloride also induced several of the low molecular weight polypeptides, although a polypeptide of about 30 kilodaltons and a group of polypeptides around 40 kilodaltons appeared to be specifically induced by nitrate. The results are discussed in relation to the possibility that some of the polypeptides induced by nitrate treatment may be directly involved in nitrate transport through the plasma membrane.     

Ammonia Assimilation in Zea mays L. Infected with a Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus Glomus fasciculatum

To investigate nitrogen assimilation and translocation in Zea mays L. colonized by the vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungus Glomus fasciculatum (Thax. sensu Gerd.), we measured key enzyme activities, 15N incorporation into free amino acids, and 15N translocation from roots to shoots. Glutamine synthetase and nitrate reductase activities were increased in both roots and shoots compared with control plants, and glutamate dehydrogenase activity increased in roots only. In the presence of [15N]ammonium, glutamine amide was the most heavily labeled product. More label was incorporated into amino acids in VAM plants. The kinetics of 15N labeling and effects of methionine sulfoximine on distribution of 15N-labeled products were entirely consistent with the operation of the glutamate synthase cycle. No evidence was found for ammonium assimilation via glutamate dehydrogenase. 15N translocation from roots to shoots through the xylem was higher in VAM plants compared with control plants. These results establish that, in maize, VAM fungi increase ammonium assimilation, glutamine production, and xylem nitrogen translocation. Unlike some ectomycorrhizal fungi, VAM fungi do not appear to alter the pathway of ammonium assimilation in roots of their hosts.     

Effects of atrazine on the assimilation of inorganic nitrogen in cereals

The inclusion of sub-lethal amounts ofthe herbicide atrazine [2-chloro-4-(ethylamino)-6-(isopropylamino)-s-triazine] in the nutrient solution supplied to maize and barley increased the growth of the root and shoot and the uptake of nitrate. The activities of nitrate and nitrite reductases, glutamine synthetase and glutamate synthase were enhanced and the amino acid and nitrate contents of the xylem sap increased. All these effects of atrazine were found only in plants grown with nitrate as the nitrogen source. The uptake of ¹⁵NO₃^? and its incorporation into protein in the root and shoot of maize and barley seedlings was significantly greater in the atrazine treated plants. However, a stimulation in the incorporation of leucine-[¹⁴C] into TCA-precipitable protein of detached leaves from 7-day-old barley seedlings was obtained only in the absence of a supply of combined nitrogen either in the culture medium or in the in vitro incubation mixture containing the labelled amino acid.     

局部根区水分胁迫下氮形态与供给部位对玉米幼苗生长的影响

通过向玉米幼苗分根装置一侧根室的营养液中加入聚乙二醇(PEG 6000)来模拟植物水分胁迫,并设3种供氮形态(硝态氮、铵态氮、两者各占50%的混合氮),且只加入到一侧根室(当氮加入到和PEG同侧时为水氮异区,加入到无PEG一侧时为水氮同区),测定各处理的光合、生理指标,以研究局部根区水分胁迫下氮形态与供给部位对玉米幼苗生长的影响.结果表明:同一氮形态供给下水氮同区植株的光合速率(Pn)、最大净光合速率(Pmax)、光饱和点(LSP)、CO2饱和点(CSP)、叶绿素a、b及叶绿素总含量、根系活力、氮含量和生物量高于水氮异区,光呼吸速率(Rp)、CO2补偿点(CCP)、木质部汁液脱落酸(ABA)浓度、氮利用效率、水分利用效率低于水氮异区;供混合氮和硝态氮的植株Pn、Pmax、LSP、CSP、氮含量和生物量高于供铵态氮的植株,而CCP、Rp、木质部汁液ABA浓度、氮利用效率、水分利用效率变化趋势则相反.可见,同一供氮形态下,水氮同区比水氮异区更利于植物生长,而水氮利用效率在水氮异区下较高;混合氮和硝态氮对植物生长的促进作用优于单一供给铵态氮,但铵态氮更有利于提高水氮利用效率.     

Foliar application of nitrate or ammonium as sole nitrogen supply in Ricinus communis. II. The flows of cations, chloride and abscisic acid

Following a precultivation with pedospheric nitrogen nutrition, Ricinus plants were supplied with nitrogen solely by spraying nitrate or ammonium solution onto the leaves during the experimental period. The chemical composition of tissues, xylem and phloem exudates was determined and on the basis of the previously determined nitrogen flows (Peuke et al., New Phytologist (1998), 138 , 657–687) the flows of potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, chloride and ABA were modelled. These data, which permit quantification of net-uptake, transport in xylem and phloem, and utilization in shoot and root, were compared with results obtained in plants with pedospherically-supplied nitrate or ammonium and data in the literature. Although the overall effects on the chemical composition of supplying ammonium to the leaves were not as pronounced as in pedospherically supplied plants, there were some typical responses of plants fed with ammonium (ammonium syndrome). In particular, in ammonium-sprayed plants uptake and transport of magnesium decreased and chloride uptake was increased compared with nitrate-sprayed plants. Furthermore, acropetal ABA transport in the xylem in ammonium-sprayed Ricinus was threefold higher than in nitrate-sprayed plants. Additionally, concentrations of anions were more or less increased in tissues, particularly in the roots, and transport fluids. The overall signal from ammonium-sprayed leaves without a direct effect of ammonium ions on uptake and transport systems in the root is discussed.     

Amino acids of barley plants in relation to nitrate,urea or ammonium nutrition

Summary When barley seedlings were transplanted into media containing either nitrate, ammonium, or urea their protein and free glutamate content increased during the first few hours. Following the commencement of active growth both the ammonium and urea assimilating plants showed greater increase in free aspartate and organic nitrogen content than the nitrate assimilating plants. Form of nitrogen had no effect on protein concentration and composition, and was of little importance as a source of differences in the total amino acid composition of the plant. re]19740503     

Early Responses of Sodium-Deficient Amaranthus tricolor L. Plants to Sodium Application

Effects of sodium application on sodium-deficient Amaranthus tricolor L. cv Tricolor seedlings were studied. Thirty-day-old A. tricolor seedlings grown without sodium received either 0.5 millimolar of NaCl or KCl, and the changes in the growth rate, chlorophyll concentration, photosynthetic oxygen evolution, and dark-oxygen consumption, and some enzyme activities were compared. Following the sodium treatment, the sodium concentration in the leaves increased from the initial value of 0.4 millimolar to 2 to 3 millimolar within 24 hours, and also the relative growth rate and O₂ evolution were enhanced within 24 hours. The stimulation of O₂ evolution was greater in the upper leaves than in the lower leaves. Although total chlorophyll concentration did not increase significantly, the increase in the chlorophyll a/b ratio was apparent within 24 hours. There were not significant increases in the C₄ photosynthetic enzyme activities; however, nitrate reductase activity increased by 350% by the sodium treatment within 24 hours, and this increase is considered not to be one of the consequences of the improved photosynthesis. Results suggest that the sodium treatment promoted CO₂ and nitrate assimilation resulting in the growth enhancement, and that sodium can be involved in some other functions than C₄ photosynthesis in A. tricolor plants.     

Nitrate Uptake by Dark-grown Corn Seedlings: Some Characteristics of Apparent Induction

Five-or six-day old seedlings of corn (Zea mays L.) were exposed to 0.25 mm Ca(NO₃)₂, 1.0 mm sodium 2-[N-morpholino]-ethanesulfonate, 5 μg Mo per liter and 50 μg of chloramphenicol per ml at pH 6. Nitrate uptake was determined from depletion of the ambient solution. The pattern of nitrate uptake was characterized, after the first 20 minutes, by a low rate which increased steadily to a maximal rate by 3 to 4 hours. Transfer of nitrate to the xylem did not totally account for the increase. Development of the maximal accelerated rate did not occur at 3 C with excised roots nor with seedlings whose endosperm had been removed. Use of CaCl₂ rather than Ca(NO₃)₂ resulted in a linear rate of chloride uptake during the first 4 hours, and chloride uptake was not as restricted by endosperm removal as was nitrate uptake.     

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.