High Temperature at Grain-filling Stage Affects Nitrogen Metabolism Enzyme Activities in Grains and Grain Nutritional Quality in Rice

Rice plants would more frequently suffer from high temperature (HT) stress at the grain-filling stage in future. A japonica rice variety Koshihikari and an indica rice variety IR72 were used to study the effect of high temperature on dynamic changes of glutamine synthetase (GS) activity, glutamate synthase (GOGAT) activity, glutamic oxalo-acetic transminase (GOT) activity, glutamate pyruvate transminase (GPT) activity in grains and grain nutritional quality at the grain-filling stage. Under HT, the activities of GOGAT, GOT, GPT and soluble protein content in grains significantly increased, whereas GS activity significantly decreased at the grain-filling stage. In addition to the increase of protein and amino acids contents, it was suggested that GOGAT, GOT and GPT in grains played important roles in nitrogen metabolism at the grain-filling stage. Since the decrease of GS activity in grains did not influence the accumulations of amino acids and protein, it is implied that GS might not be the key enzyme in regulating glutamine content in grains.

The effects of phenolic acid on nitrogen metabolism in Populus 3 euramericana ‘Neva’

The declines in soil fertility and productivity in continuously cropped poplar plantations axe related to phenolic acid accumulation in the soil. Nitrogen is a vital life element for poplar and whether the accumulation of phenolic acid could influence nitrogen metabolism in poplar and thereby hinder continuous cropping is not clear. In this study, poplar cuttings of Populus × euramericana ‘Neva＇ were potted in vermiculite, and phenolic acids at three concentrations （032, 0.5X and 1.0X） were added according to the actual content （1.0X） in the soil of a second-generation poplar plantation. Each treatment had eight replicates. We measured gas exchange parameters and the activities of key enzymes related to nitrogen metabolism in the leaves. Leaf photosynthetic parameters varied with the concentration of phenolic acids. The net photosynthetic rate （PN） significantly decreased with increasing phenolic acid concentration, and non-stomatal factors might have been the primary limitation for PN- The activities of nitrate reductase （NR）, glutamine synthetase （GS） and glutamate synthase （GOGAT）, as well as the contents of nitrate nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, and total nitrogen in the leaves decreased with increasing phenolic acid concentration. This was significantly and positively related to PN （P 〈 0.05）. The low concentration of phe- nolic acids mainly affected the transformation process of NO3- to NO2-, while the high concentration of phenolic acids affected both processes, where NO3- was transferred to NO2- and NH4＋ was transferred to glutamine （Gln）. Overall, phenolic acid had significant inhibitory effects on the photosynthetic productivity of Populus x euramericana ＇Neva＇. This was probably due to its influence on the activities of nitrogen assimilation enzymes, which reduced the amount of amino acids that were translated into protein and enzymes. Improving the absorption and utilization of nitrogen by plants could help to overcome the problems caused by continuous cropping.

The positive function of selenium supplementation on reducing nitrate accumulation in hydroponic lettuce(Lactuca sativa L.)

High nitrate(NO3-) in vegetables, especially in leaf vegetables poses threaten to human health. Selenium(Se) is an important element for maintaining human health, and exogenous Se application during vegetable and crop production is an effective way to prevent Se deficiency in human bodies. Exogenous Se shows positive function on plant growth and nutrition uptake under abiotic and/or biotic stresses. However, the influence of exogenous Se on NO3-accumulation in hydroponic vegetables is still not clear. In the present study, hydroponic lettuce plants were subjected to six different concentrations(0, 0.1, 0.5, 5, 10 and 50 μmol L–1) of Se as Na2 Se O3. The effects of Se on NO3-content, plant growth, and photosynthetic capacity of lettuce(Lactuca sativa L.) were investigated. The results showed that exogenous Se positively decreased NO3-content and this effect was concentration-dependent. The lowest NO3-content was obtained under 0.5 μmol L–1 Se treatment. The application of Se enhanced photosynthetic capacity by increasing the photosynthesis rate(Pn), stomatal conductance(Cs) and the transpiration efficiency(Tr) of lettuce. The transportation and assimilation of NO3-and activities of nitrogen metabolism enzymes in lettuce were also analysed. The NO3-efflux in the lettuce roots was markedly increased, but the efflux of NO3-from the root to the shoot was decreased after treated with exogenous Se. Moreover, Se application stimulated NO3-assimilation by enhancing nitrate reductase(NR), nitrite reductase(Ni R), glutamine synthetase(GS) and glutamate synthase enzyme(GOGAT) activities. These results provide direct evidence that exogenous Se shows positive function on decreasing NO3-accumulation via regulating the transport and enhancing activities of nitrogen metabolism enzyme in lettuce. We suggested that 0.5 μmol L–1 Se can be used to reduce NO3-content and increase hydroponic lettuce yield.

Selenium distribution and nitrate metabolism in hydroponic lettuce(Lactuca sativa L.): Effects of selenium forms and light spectra

A deficiency in selenium(Se) in the human diet is a worldwide problem. The intake of Se-rich vegetables can be a safe way to combat Se deficiency for humans. However, most leafy vegetables can accumulate a high content of nitrates, which poses a potential threat to human health. Light is an important environmental factor that regulates the uptake and distribution of mineral elements and nitrogen metabolism in plants. However, the effects of Se forms and light conditions, especially light spectra, on the uptake and translocation of Se and on nitrate reduction are poorly understood. In this study, lettuce(Lactuca sativa L.) was treated with exogenous Se applied as selenate(10 mmol L^-1) and selenite(0.5 mmol L^-1) and grown under five different light spectra: fluorescent light(FL), monochromatic red LED light(R), monochromatic blue LED light(B), and mixed red and blue LED light with a red to blue light ratio at 4(R/B=4), 8(R/B=8), and 12(R/B=12), respectively. The effects of light spectra and Se forms on plant growth, photosynthetic performance, Se accumulation and nitrate reduction were investigated. The results showed that the light spectra and Se forms had significant interactions for plant growth, foliar Se accumulation and nitrate reduction. The Se concentration and nitrate content in the leaves were negatively correlated with the percentage of red light from the light sources. Compared to Se applied as selenite, exogenous Se applied as selenate was more effective in reducing nitrate via promoting nitrate reductase and glutamate synthase activities. The lowest nitrate content and highest plant biomass were observed under R/B=8 for both the selenate and selenite treatments. The significant effect of the light spectra on the root concentration factor and translocation factor of Se resulted in marked variations in the Se concentrations in the roots and leaves. Compared with FL, red and blue LED light led to significant decreases in the foliar Se concentration. The results from this study suggest that the light spectra can contribute to Se distribution and accumulation to produce vegetables with better food quality.