Effect of Nitrogen Fertilization on Growth and Photosynthetic Nitrogen use Efficiency in Tobacco （Nicotiana tabacum L.）

Soil pot experiments were conducted in a greenhouse to examine the effects of different nitrogen （N） supply （low, 0.15 g N/kg; middle, 0.3 g N/kg; and high, 0.6 g N/kg dry soil） on the growth, photosynthetic characteristics and photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency （PNUE） of tobacco seedlings （Nicotiana tabacum L. Yunyan 87）. The results showed middle and high N significantly enhanced seedling growth including plant stem and leaf dry weight comparing with low N. High N supply could lead to a dramatic increase in the photosynthetic capacity of tobacco seedlings under low N conditions. There were significant differences in leaf N content between nitrogen treatments. About a 76% increase in leafN content in plants fed by high N resulted in about 43% increase in Rubisco content and 27% in net photosynthetic rate. The non-corresponding increases in photosynthetic rate in tobacco seedlings fed by high N relative to low N resulted from Rubisco activity and/or carboxylation efficiency （CE）. These results indicated that tobacco seedlings under high N application can maintain high net photosynthetic rate （Pn） but lower PNUE, will finally result in a decline in N use efficiency.

Varietal difference in the correlation between leaf nitrogen content and photosynthesis in rice(Oryza sativa L.) plants is related to specific leaf weight

Increasing leaf photosynthesis per area（A） is of great importance to achieve yield further improvement. The aim of this study was to exploit varietal difference in A and its correlation with specific leaf weight（SLW）. Twelve rice cultivars, including 6 indica and 6 japonica varieties, were pot-grown under two N treatments, low N（LN） and sufficient N（SN）. Leaf photosynthesis and related parameters were measured at tillering stage. Compared with LN treatment, A, stomatal conductance（g_s）, mesophyll conductance（g_m）, leaf N content（N_（area））, and chlorophyll content were significantly improved under SN treatment, while SLW and photosynthetic N use efficiency（PNUE） were generally decreased. Varietal difference in A was positively related to both g_s and g_m, but not related to N_（area）. This resulted in a low PNUE in high N_（area） leaves. Varietal difference in PNUE was generally negatively related to SLW. Response of PNUE to N supply varied among different rice cultivars, and interestingly, the decrease in PNUE under SN was negatively related to the decrease in SLW. With a higher N_（area）, japonica rice cultivars did not show a higher A than indica rice cultivars because of possession of high-SLW leaves. Therefore, varietal difference in A was not related to N_（area）, and SLW can substantially interfere with the correlation between A and N_（area）. These findings may provide useful information for rice breeders to maximize A and PNUE, rather than over reliance on N_（area） as an indicator of photosynthetic performance.