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Photosynthate costs associated with the utilization of different nitrogen–forms: influence on the carbon balance of plants and shoot–root biomass partitioning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 1998

AYALSEW ZERIHUN ,
BRUCE A. McKENZIE  and
JAMES D. MORTON
AYALSEW ZERIHUN
Affiliation:
P.O. Box 84, Plant Science Department, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 W. Taylor St., IL60607, USA. E-mail: zerihun@uic.edu
BRUCE A. McKENZIE
Affiliation:
P.O. Box 84, Plant Science Department, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand
JAMES D. MORTON
Affiliation:
P.O. Box 84, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Group, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand
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Abstract

The photosynthate costs of processes (amino acid and protein synthesis and turnover, and pH regulation) associated with the utilization of nitrate (NO3−), ammonium (NH4+) or glutamine (Gln) for plant growth were estimated. Based on these estimates, the effects of these forms of nitrogen (N) on the carbon balance of plants and on shoot–root biomass allocation were evaluated. The results indicated that NO3− as an N source for plant growth is not substantially more expensive to utilize than either NH4+ or Gln, particularly in the long term when costs due to protein turnover dominate the total costs of N utilization. It is also suggested that the photosynthate use in processes associated with N assimilation has little impact on the carbon balance of plants, and hence on shoot–root biomass allocation.

Keywords

Biomass partitioningnitrogen-form and assimilationPhaseolus vulgarisphotosynthate costprotein synthesis and turnover
Type
Research Article
Information
The New Phytologist , Volume 138 , Issue 1 , January 1998 , pp. 1 - 11
Copyright
Trustees of the New Phytologist 1998

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