Two weeks-old maize (Zea mays cv. XL-72.3) plants were exposed to Al concentrations 0 (Al0), 9 (Al9), 27 (Al27) or 81 (Al81) g m-3 for 20 d in a growth medium with low ionic strength. Thereafter, the Al concentration-dependent interactions on root nitrate uptake, and its subsequent reduction to ammonia in the leaves were investigated. Al concentrations in the roots sharply increased with increasing Al concentrations while root elongation correspondingly decreased. Root fresh and dry masses, acidification capacity, and nitrate and nitrogen contents decreased from Al27 onwards, whereas leaf nitrogen, nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia concentrations decreased starting with Al9. Electrolytic conductance increased by 60 % in root tissues from Al0 to Al81 but it did not increase significantly in the leaves. In Al9, Al27, and Al81 plants a decrease in shoot fresh and dry masses was observed. Al concentrations between 0 and 27 g m-3 increased net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and the quantum yield of photosynthetic electron transport, whereas the intercellular CO2 concentration was minimum in Al27 plants. In the leaves, nitrate reductase (E.C. 1.6.6.1) activity increased until Al27, and nitrite reductase (E.C. 1.6.6.4) activity until Al81. Hence there may be an Al mediated extracellular and intracellular regulation of root net nitrate uptake. Nitrate accumulation in the roots affects the translocation rates and, therefore, the nitrate concentration in the leaves. The in vivo reducing power generated by the photosynthetic electron flow does not limit nitrate to ammonia reduction, and the increase of maximum nitrate and nitrite reductase activities parallels the decreasing nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia concentrations. and F. C. Lidon, J. C. Ramalho, M. G. Barreiro.
Plants of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) were raised in a sand root medium watered with nutrient solutions, under greenhouse conditions. As the N-supply increased, shoot dry mass was enhanced to a greater extent than root dry mass, thus leading to an increased shoot to root ratio. In leaves, contents of total soluble saccharides, non-reducing saccharides, and inorganic phosphate increased linearly with increasing N-supply. An opposite response was found for reducing saccharides and starch. In general, content of non-reducing saccharides was considerably greater than starch content. Activity of sucrose synthase was not detected, regardless of the N-treatments; by contrast, activity of neutral and acid invertases increased with increasing N-availability. Roots accumulated more total soluble saccharides, but less reducing saccharides and starch, as the N-supply increased. Photosynthetic rates decreased with increasing N-deficiency. Such a decrease was circumstantially associated to reducing saccharide, but not starch, accumulation. Results suggest a limited capacity for carbon export from source leaves under N-limitation. and J. L. Cruz ... [et al.].
The decay of tyrosine cation radical was found to be biphasic at 253 K. The fast phase corresponds to the YZ* component while the slow phase corresponds to the tyrosine D radical (YD*) component. At 253 K, the t1/2 value was ∼28.6 s for the fast phase and ∼190.7 s for the slow phase. The fast phase is attributed to the recombination of charges between YZ* and QA-. The activation energy for the reaction of YZ with QA- between 253 and 293 K was 48 kJ mol-1 in Cl--depleted photosystem 2 (PS2) membranes. Both the decay rate and the amplitude of the PAR-induced signal of YZ* were affected by addition of chloride anion. Change in the decay rate and the amplitude of the PAR-induced signal of YZ* was observed when other anions like Br-, I-, F, HCO3-, NO3-, PO43- were substituted in the Cl--depleted PS2. and A. Jajoo, S. Bharti, A. Kawamori.
The UNECE-ICP Integrated Monitoring site Zöbelboden in the Northern Alps of Austria was established to assess the effects of air pollutants on forest ecosystems. Changes in recruitment of the dominant tree species may be among these effects but there is little information on how germination and juvenile growth of these species respond to changes in nutrient supply. This study focused on the effects of nitrogen availability on the performance of the early life history stages of Picea abies, Fagus sylvatica, Fraxinus excelsior and Acer pseudoplatanus based on measured soil variables and Ellenberg indicator values. For 106, 0.5 × 0.5 m plots, the pH-value, NH4+, NO3–, gross and net N mineralization and C:N ratio ot the top mineral soil were analyzed. Additionally, incoming solar radiation and estimated number of seeds arriving in each plot were recorded. Recruitment and juvenile growth rates of the tree species were related to these variables and to mean Ellenberg indicator values calculated from the vascular plant species composition of the plots, respectively, using linear or generalized linear mixed models. Despite the relatively high correlations of Ellenberg indicator values with the three measured soil variables, namely pH, ammonium, and, in particular, gross N mineralization, models using measured variables and Ellenberg indicator values produced inconsistent results in most cases. In general, closer correlations were obtained between measured soil variables and tree performance than between Ellenberg indicator values and tree performance. Measured nitrogen variables had a significant effect on the recruitment and growth of Fagus sylvatica and Acer pseudoplatanus. However, whereas the growth of both species was similarly greater where NH4 contents and gross mineralization rates were higher, their responses to soil nitrogen were clearly distinct in terms of recruitment. Finally, neither recruitment nor growth of Fraxinus excelsior are significantly correlated with any of the measured nitrogen variables. Partitioning of regeneration niches in terms of different nitrogen sources and supply rates might hence contribute to the co-existence of different tree species in such mixed mountain forests.
Feeding K+ or Na+ nitrate salts in vivo enhanced the activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) in the leaf extracts of Alternanthera pungens (C4 plant) and A. sessilis (C3 species). The increase was more pronounced in A. pungens than in A. sessilis. Chloride salts increased the PEPC activity only marginally. However, the sulfate salts were either not effective or inhibitory. Feeding nitrate modulated the regulatory properties of PEPC in A. pungens, resulting in increased KI (malate) and decreased KA (glucose-6-P). The sensitivity of PEPC to malate, which gives a measure of phosphorylation status of the enzyme, indicated that feeding leaves with NO3- enhanced the phosphorylation status of the enzyme. The reduction in PEPC activity due to cycloheximide treatment suggested that increased synthesis of PEPC protein kinase may be one of the reasons for the enhancement in PEPC activity, after the nitrate feeding. We suggest that nitrate salts could be used as a tool to modulate and analyze the properties of PEPC in C3 and C4 plants. and A. V. Rajagopalan, R. M. Agarwal, A. S. Raghavendra.
Quercus ilex plants grown on two different substrates, sand soil (C) and compost (CG), were exposed to photosynthetic photon flux densities (PPFD) at 390 and 800 µmol(CO2) mol-1 (C390 and C800). At C800 both C and CG plants showed a significant increase of net photosynthetic rate (PN) and electron transport rate (ETR) in response to PPFD increase as compared to C390. In addition, at C800 lower non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) values were observed. The differences between C390 and C800 were related to PPFD. The higher PN and ETR and the lower dissipative processes found in CG plants at both CO2 concentrations as compared to C plants suggest that substrate influences significantly photosynthetic response of Q. ilex plants. Moreover, short-term exposures at elevated CO2 decreased nitrate photo-assimilation in leaves independently from substrate of growth. and C. Arena, L. Vitale, A. Virzo De Santo.
14CO2 uptake in leaves of wheat plants (Triticum aestivum L.) fertilized by urea or Ca(NO3)2 (25 mol m-3) was investigated. The Warburg effect (inhibition of 14CO2 uptake by oxygen) under 0.03 vol. % CO2 concentration was observed only in non-fertilized plants. Under 0.03 vol. % CO2, the Warburg antieffect (stimulation of 14CO2 uptake by oxygen) was detected only in plants fertilized by Ca(NO3)2. Under saturating CO2 concentration (0.30 vol. %), the Warburg antieffect was observed in all variants. Under limitation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase activity (0.30 vol. % CO2 + 1 vol. % O2), the rate of synthesis of glycollate metabolism products decreased in control and urea-fertilized plants but was enhanced in nitrate-fed plants. Hence, there was an activation of glycollate formation via transketolase reaction in fertilized plants, and the products of nitrate reduction function were oxidants in nitrate-fertilized plants whereas the superoxide radical played this role in urea-fertilized plants. and V. Chikov, G. Bakirova.
Both drainage and surface stream runoff and water quality were measured on drained sites in the upper part of the Cerhovický potok catchment (Beroun district, Czech Republic). A few extreme precipitation - runoff situations were observed over the period 1994-1999, of which a flood wave with the fourth highest peak runoff was monitored and evaluated in detail as to the concentrations of nitrate both in the stream runoff and in the drainage discharge. In addition, average annual concentrations and average annual nitrate yields in the runoff from drained agricultural lands and undrained, prevailingly forest lands were estimated on the basis of regular monthly monitoring. In the course of the fourth highest runoff wave, the quality of water was sampled frequently and soil moisture contents and groundwater levels were also measured. The concentrations of nitrate and the specific yield of nitrate (kg d-1 ha-1) in the runoff generated on different sites were compared. It was found that, during extreme flows, the specific yield of nitrate [kg day-1 ha-1] in drainage runoff from agricultural lands exceeds 6.3 times the specific yield of nitrate [kg day-1 ha-1] in surface runoff from the entire catch-ment. The nitrate concentrations did not vary much in time during the extreme flow event. The leaching of nitrate was particularly intensive during the non-vegetation period, due to a higher water saturation of the soil. Some technical and agronomic measures for reduction of nitrate yields during high flow periods are discussed. and Na odvodněných pozemcích povodí Cerhovického potoka (okr. Beroun) byly dlouhodobě sledovány povrchové a drenážní odtoky a jejich kvalita. V období 1994 - 1999 se vyskytlo několik extrémních srážkoodtokových situací, z nichž čtvrtá nejvyšší odtoková vlna byla podrobně monitorována a vyhodnocena z hlediska koncentrace dusičnanů, jak ve vodách v toku, tak z plochy odvodněné. Na základě pravidelného měsíčního monitoringu byla vyhodnocena průměrná roční koncentrace dusičnanů ve vodách odtékajících ze zemědělsky a lesnicky využívaných pozemků. Současně byly měřeny vlhkosti půdy a sledovány hladiny podzemní vody. Odnosy a koncentrace NO3 byly porovnány podle jednotlivých charakteristických ploch a bylo zjištěno, že v době extrémních průtoků převyšuje specifický odnos dusičnanů z drenáže 6,3-krát specifické odnosy[kg den-1 ha-1] ve vodách z celého povodí. Koncentrace NO3 se v průběhu odtokové vlny příliš nemění. Proces vyplavování dusičnanů je v důsledku vyššího stavu nasycení půd vodou intenzivní zejména v mimovegetační době. V diskusi jsou uvedena některá technická a agrotechnická opatření, jimiž lze vyplavování dusičnanů v době vyšších odtoků snížit.