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Effects of soil nitrogen (N) deficiency on photosynthetic N-use efficiency in N-fixing and non-N-fixing tree seedlings in subtropical China

Soil nitrogen (N) deficiencies can affect the photosynthetic N-use efficiency (PNUE), mesophyll conductance (g(m)), and leaf N allocation. However, lack of information about how these physiological characteristics in N-fixing trees could be affected by soil N deficiency and the difference between N-...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Tang, Jingchao, Sun, Baodi, Cheng, Ruimei, Shi, Zuomin, Da Luo, Liu, Shirong, Centritto, Mauro
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Nature Publishing Group UK 2019
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6418086/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30872731
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-41035-1
Descripción
Sumario:Soil nitrogen (N) deficiencies can affect the photosynthetic N-use efficiency (PNUE), mesophyll conductance (g(m)), and leaf N allocation. However, lack of information about how these physiological characteristics in N-fixing trees could be affected by soil N deficiency and the difference between N-fixing and non-N-fixing trees. In this study, we chose seedlings of two N-fixing (Dalbergia odorifera and Erythrophleum fordii) and two non-N-fixing trees (Castanopsis hystrix and Betula alnoides) as study objects, and we conducted a pot experiment with three levels of soil N treatments (high nitrogen, set as Control; medium nitrogen, MN; and low nitrogen, LN). Our results showed that soil N deficiency significantly decreased the leaf N concentration and photosynthesis ability of the two non-N-fixing trees, but it had less influence on two N-fixing trees. The LN treatment had lower g(m) in D. odorifera and lower leaf N allocated to Rubisco (P(R)), leaf N allocated to bioenergetics (P(B)), and g(m) in B. alnoides, eventually resulting in low PNUE values. Our findings suggested that the D. odorifera and E. fordii seedlings could grow well in N-deficient soil, and adding N may increase the growth rates of B. alnoides and C. hystrix seedlings and promote the growth of artificial forests.