Summary
The leaf and root nitrate reductase activities were measured in 7 day-old barley seedlings by anoxic nitrite accumulation in darkness, during 48h after the transfer from a N-starved medium to a 1.5 mM K15NO3 medium. Thisin situ nitrate reduction was compared with the15N incorporation in the reduced N fraction of the whole seedlings.
The nitrate reduction integrated fromin situ measurements was lower than the reduced15N accumulation. The rootin situ nitrate reductase activity seemed to account for only the third of the real root nitrate reduction, which may have been responsible for the overall underestimation. This discrepancy was partly explained by the ability of the root to reduce nitrite in an anoxic environment.
These results suggest that, after correction of thein situ estimation of the nitrate reduction. the roots contribute to about 50% of the total assimilation.
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Gojon, A., Passama, L. & Robin, P. Root contribution to nitrate reduction in barley seedlings (Hordeum vulgare L.). Plant Soil 91, 339–342 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02198119
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02198119