Effects of NH4(+)-N/NO3(-)-N ratio in applied supplementary fertilizer on nitrogen metabolism, photosynthesis and growth of Isatis indigotica / 中国中药杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of NH4(+)-N/NO3(-)-N ratios in the applied supplementary fertilizer on the growth, nitrogen metabolis related enzymes activity and photosynthetic characteristics of Isatis indigotica.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The sand culture experiment was conducted, and seedling of I. indigotica was fertilized with the mixed nutrition that containing the Hoagland's macro elements and the Aron's micro elements, the additional 63 mmol N was supplementary with the NH4(+)-N/NO3(-)-N ratio of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 and 0:100.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The biomass of I. indigotica increased at first when the supplementary N of NH4(+)-N/NO3(-)-N ratio changed from 100:0 to 50:50 and decreased afterwards. The maximum value was at 50:50 and the minimum at 100: 0. With increasing the ratio of NO3(-)-N, the activity of nitrate reductase and glutamine synthetase increased and then decreased and the relationship between the activity and the ratio could be described with an approximate parabola curve. The net photosynthetic rate of I. indigotica was the highest at the NH4(+)-N/NO3(-)-N ratio of 75:25 and the lowest at 100:0.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Increasing the NO3(-)-N ratio properly was beneficial to promote the growth and improve the activity of nitrate reductase and glutamine synthetase and net photosynthetic rate of I. indigotica.</p>