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Plant Nutrient Acquisition pp 399–420Cite as

Possibility of Direct Acquisition of Organic Nitrogen by Crops

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Summary

We found unusual growth responses of some crop species to organic nitrogen (N). Upland rice could take up more N in soil amended with organic materials than with chemical fertilizer, which had a higher inorganic N level. On the other hand, maize, sugar beet and potato grew better in the soil with chemical fertilizer than with organic materials. We proposed two possibilities for these results: (1) Significant N mineralization occurs in the rhizosphere of upland rice. Upland rice may enhance the N mineralization in the rhizosphere by secreting enzymes such as protease. (2) Upland rice can take up organic N directly.

Protease activity in the rhizosphere soil of upland rice was lower than that of other crops, which indicates that upland rice did not enhance the N mineralization in the rhizosphere. Amino acid and protein contents in the rhizosphere soil of upland rice were lower than the levels in the rhizosphere soil of maize and non-rhizosphere soils. Furthermore, when 15N-labelled rice bran was applied as an organic material, the 15N content of upland rice was higher than that of maize. These results suggest that upland rice might take up organic N preferentially compared to maize.

We examined the N uptake response of vegetable crops such as chingensai (a kind of Chinese cabbage), pimento, carrot, and leaf lettuce, whose growing duration is much shorter than that of upland rice. For this, two plots were employed; one plot received rapeseed cake as organic N, and the other received ammonium sulfate. Growth and N uptake by carrot and chingensai was stimulated more on the organic N plot than on the plot with ammonium sulfate, but in the case of pimento and leaf lettuce, the reverse was true. These results suggest that, like upland rice, carrot and chingensai have an ability to take up organic N preferentially.

In order to obtain evidence that chingensai may take up organic N from organic N amended soil, we investigated xylem sap of chingensai grown with rapeseed cake using high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. We detected the same peak in the xylem sap of chingensai grown in a soil with rapeseed cake as in the phosphate buffer extract from soil with organic N. However, this peak was not detected in xylem sap of pimento, which showed poor growth with rapeseed cake. The compound found in the soil extract was estimated to be a protein-like nitrogenous compound, which is likely to be produced through bacterial biomass when organic materials are supplied to a soil.

In conclusion, upland rice and chingensai, both of which responded well to organic N, might have an ability to take up directly this particular organic N produced in the soil. The presence or absence of this ability could be a source of N uptake differences among crops when organic matter is applied.

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Authors
  1. Makoto Yamagata
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  2. Shingo Matsumoto
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  3. Noriharu Ae
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Soil Biochemistry, National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, 3-1-3 Kannondai, Tsukuba, 305-8604, Ibaraki, Japan

    Noriharu Ae Ph.D.

  2. Legume Physiology Laboratory, National Institute of Crop Science, 2-1-18 Kannondai, Tsukuba, 305-8518, Ibaraki, Japan

    Joji Arihara Ph.D.

  3. Crop Production and Environment Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences, 1-1 Owashi, Tsukuba, 305-8686, Ibaraki, Japan

    Kensuke Okada Ph.D.

  4. Regional Science Institute, 4-13, Kita-24 Nishi-2, Kita-ku, 001-0024, Sapporo, Japan

    Ancha Srinivasan Ph.D.

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© 2001 Springer Japan

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Yamagata, M., Matsumoto, S., Ae, N. (2001). Possibility of Direct Acquisition of Organic Nitrogen by Crops. In: Ae, N., Arihara, J., Okada, K., Srinivasan, A. (eds) Plant Nutrient Acquisition. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-66902-9_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-66902-9_18

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo

  • Print ISBN: 978-4-431-66904-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-4-431-66902-9

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