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Inhibition and recovery of symbiotic N2 fixation by peas (Pisum sativum L.) in response to short-term nitrate exposure

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Abstract

The design of more sustainable cropping systems requires increasing N-input from symbiotic N2 fixation (SNF). However, SNF can be inhibited by nitrate exposure (e.g., soil N-mineralization). Although the effect of nitrate on SNF has been extensively investigated at the cell scale, few studies have highlighted the impact of nitrate exposure on nodule number and biomass, nodule activity of the SNF apparatus or its ability to recover. Pea plants were grown in greenhouse conditions in a N-free nutrient solution and exposed to nitrate (5 mM NO −3 L−1) for one week during either early vegetative growth, flowering or seed filling. After nitrate removal, the plants were grown either under natural light or shade. Nitrate exposure reduced the rate of nodule establishment during vegetative growth, whereas it caused damage to existing nodules when applied during the reproductive stages. Nitrate decreased the specific activity of nodules regardless of the stage of the exposure. After nitrate removal, an extra wave of nodulation was observed on plants grown under natural light but only when nitrate exposure occurred before the seed filling stage. The recovery of SNF activity after nitrate removal depended on the amount of carbon available to nodules.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the technical staff of LEVA (Laboratoire d’Ecophysiologie Végétale et Agroécologie), of UMR 211 Agronomie INRA AgroParisTech and of UMR-LEG 102 INRA for their excellent technical assistance. This work was jointly founded by ADEME (Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’Énergie), CASDAR n°431 (Compte d’Affectation Spéciale pour le Développement Agricole et Rural), Conseil Général du Maine-et-Loire and UNIP (Union National Interprofessionnel des plantes riches en Protéines).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LUNAM Université, Groupe Ecole Supérieure d’Agriculture, UPSP LEVA (Laboratoire d’Ecophysiologie Végétale & Agroécologie), 55 rue Rabelais, BP 30748, 49007, Angers, Cedex 01, France

    Christophe Naudin, Guénaëlle Corre-Hellou, Vincent Oury & Yves Crozat

  2. UMR-LEG 102 Génétique et Ecophysiologie des Légumineuses INRA, BP 86510, 21065, Dijon, France

    Anne-Sophie Voisin & Christophe Salon

  3. UMR 211 Agronomie INRA AgroParisTech, 78850, Thiverval-Grignon, France

    Marie-Hélène Jeuffroy

Authors
  1. Christophe Naudin
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  2. Guénaëlle Corre-Hellou
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  3. Anne-Sophie Voisin
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  4. Vincent Oury
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  5. Christophe Salon
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  6. Yves Crozat
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  7. Marie-Hélène Jeuffroy
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christophe Naudin.

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Responsible Editor: Katharina Pawlowski.

In tribute to Yves Crozat who had taken part in the first planning of this research project before deceased on 20th June 2007.

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Naudin, C., Corre-Hellou, G., Voisin, AS. et al. Inhibition and recovery of symbiotic N2 fixation by peas (Pisum sativum L.) in response to short-term nitrate exposure. Plant Soil 346, 275–287 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-0817-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-0817-8

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