Influences of different nitrogen sources on nitrogen- and water-use efficiency, and carbon isotope discrimination, in C 3 Triticum aestivum L. and C 4 Zea mays L. plants

Abstract

The impacts of various nitrogen sources, i.e. NO−3, NH4+ or NH4NO3 in combination with gaseous NH3, on nitrogen-, carbon- and water-use efficiency and 13C discrimination (δ13C) by plants of the C3 species Triticum aestivum L. (wheat) and the C4 species Zea mays L. (maize) were studied. Triticum aestivum and Z. mays were hydroponically grown with 2 mol · m−3 of N supplied as NO−3, NH4+ or NH4NO3 for 21 and 18 d, respectively, and thereafter exposed to gaseous NH3 at 320 μg · m−3 or to ambient air for 7 d. In T. aestivum and Z. mays over a 7-d growth period, nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) values were influenced by N-sources in the decreasing order NH4NO3-N > NO−3-N > NH4+-N and NO−3-N > NH4NO3-N > NH4+-N, respectively. Fumigation with NH3 decreased the NUE values of plants grown with any of the N-forms. During 28- and 7-d growth periods, N-sources affected water-use efficiency (WUE) values in the decreasing order of NH4+-N > NO−3-N≈NH4NO3-N in non-fumigated T. aestivum, while fumigation with NH3 increased the WUE of NO−3-grown plants. There were insignificant effects of N-sources on WUE values of Z. mays over 25- and 7-d growth periods. Furthermore, δ13C values in plant tissues (leaves, stubble and roots) were higher (less negative) in NH4+-grown plants of T. aestivum and Z. mays than in those supplied with NH4NO3 or NO−3. Regardless of the N-form supplied to the roots of the plant species, exposure to NH3 caused more-positive δ13C values in the plant tissues. These results indicate that the variations in N-source were associated with small but significant variations in δ13C values in plants of T. aestivum and Z. mays. These differences in δ13C values are in the direction expected from differences in WUE values over long or short growth periods and with differences in the extent of non-Rubisco (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase, EC 4.1.1.39) carboxylate contribution to net C acquisition, as a function of N-source.