Effects of nitrogen fertilization on pot‐grown wheat photosynthate partitioning within intensively farmed soil determined by 13C pulse‐labeling

Abstract

AbstractUnderstanding rhizodeposited carbon (C) dynamics of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is important for improving soil fertility and increasing soil C stocks. However, the effects of nitrogen (N) fertilization on photosynthate C allocation to rhizodeposition of wheat grown in an intensively farmed alkaline soil remain elusive. In this study, pot‐grown winter wheat under N fertilization of 250 kg N ha−1 was pulse‐labeled with 13CO2 at tillering, elongation, anthesis, and grain‐filling stages. The 13C in shoots, roots, soil organic carbon (SOC), and rhizosphere‐respired CO2 was measured 28 d after each 13C labeling. The proportion of net‐photosynthesized 13C recovered (shoots + roots + soil + soil respired CO2) in the shoots increased from 58–64% at the tillering to 86–91% at the grain‐filling stage. Likewise, the proportion in the roots decreased from 21–28% to 2–3%, and that in the SOC pool increased from 1–2% to 6–7%. However, the 13C respired CO2 allocated to soil peaked (17–18%) at the elongation stage and decreased to 6–8% at the grain‐filling stage. Over the entire growth season of wheat, N fertilization decreased the proportion of net photosynthate C translocated to the below‐ground pool by about 20%, but increased the total amount of fixed photosynthate C, and therefore increased the below‐ground photosynthate C input. We found that the chase period of about 4 weeks is sufficient to accurately monitor the recovery of 13C after pulse labeling in a wheat–soil system. We conclude that N fertilization increased the deposition of photoassimilate C into SOC pools over the entire growth season of wheat compared to the control treatment.