Relation between Leaf Age and Nitrogen Incorporation in the Leaf of the Rice Plant (Oryza sativa L.)

The relation between leaf age and the incorporation of nitrogeninto the leaf was examined in the 13th leaf blade of the riceplant, Oryza sativa L., after feeding it ¹⁵N-labelled ammoniumsulfate. The incorporation of nitrogen into the leaf was activeup to the maximum leaf nitrogen content; thereafter it decreasedquickly. At the beginning of senescence, when the nitrogen contentof the leaf had begun to decrease, the incorporation of ¹⁵Ndecreased to 28% of the value during development. At the middlestage of senescence, when the nitrogen content had decreasedto half the maximum, the incorporation was 13%. The incorporation of ¹⁵N into soluble proteins was examinedby gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. During development, largeamounts of ¹⁵N were incorporated into the ribulose bisphosphatecarboxylase-rich fraction. As the leaf aged, the incroporationof ¹⁵N into this fraction decreased more sharply than it didin other fractions. This tendency was more pronounced at thelate stage of senescence. We concluded that the amounts andkinds of protein synthesized in a leaf are closely related toleaf age. (Received November 24, 1981; Accepted June 17, 1982)