Abstract
Nitrogen (N) plays a vital role in photosynthesis and crop productivity. Maize plants may be able to increase physiological N utilization efficiency (NUtE) under low-N stress by increasing photosynthetic rate (P n) per unit leaf N, that is, photosynthetic N-use efficiency (PNUE). In this study, we analyzed the relationship between PNUE and N allocation in maize ear-leaves during the grain-filling stage under low N (no N application) and high N (180 kg N ha(-1)) in a 2-year field experiment. Under low N, grain yield decreased while NUtE increased. Low-N treatment reduced the specific N content of ear leaves by 38% without significant influencing P n, thereby increasing PNUE by 54%. Under low-N stress, maize plants tended to invest relatively more N into bioenergetics to sustain electron transport. In contrast, N allocated to chlorophyll and light-harvesting proteins was reduced to control excess electron production. Soluble proteins were reduced to shrink the N storage reservoir. We conclude that optimization of N allocation within leaves is a key adaptive mechanism to maximize P n and crop productivity when N is limited during the grain-filling stage in maize under low-N conditions.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Low nitrogen decreased maize grain yield.
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Maize”
e0“Under low N, grain yield decreased”
Claim · model-written summary
Low nitrogen increased physiological nitrogen utilization efficiency.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Maize”
e0“Under low N, grain yield decreased while NUtE increased”
Claim · model-written summary
Low nitrogen reduced ear-leaf specific nitrogen content by 38%.
- Organ / stage
- ear leavese0
- Treatment
- Low-N treatmente0
- Outcome
- specific N contente0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 38%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Maize”
e0“Low-N treatment reduced the specific N content of ear leaves by 38%”
Claim · model-written summary
Low nitrogen did not significantly influence net photosynthetic rate.
- Outcome
- P ne0
Not reportedTreatmentComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Maize”
e0“without significant influencing P n”
Claim · model-written summary
Low nitrogen increased photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency by 54%.
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Maize”
e0“thereby increasing PNUE by 54%”
Claim · model-written summary
Under low nitrogen, maize invested relatively more nitrogen in bioenergetics to sustain electron transport.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Maize”
e0“Under low-N stress, maize plants tended to invest relatively more N into bioenergetics to sustain electron transport”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen allocation to chlorophyll and light-harvesting proteins decreased.
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Maize”
e0“N allocated to chlorophyll and light-harvesting proteins was reduced to control excess electron production”
Claim · model-written summary
Soluble proteins were reduced, shrinking nitrogen storage.
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Maize”
e0“Soluble proteins were reduced to shrink the N storage reservoir”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors interpret optimized leaf nitrogen allocation as an adaptation maintaining photosynthesis and productivity under low nitrogen.
- Organ / stage
- leavese0
- Outcome
- P n and crop productivitye0
- Qualifier
- optimization of N allocation within leavese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Maize”
e0“optimization of N allocation within leaves is a key adaptive mechanism to maximize P n and crop productivity when N is limited during the grain-filling stage in maize under low-N conditions”
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