Articles
Does fertilized nitrogen form affect the nutritional value of the tuber crop Raphanus sativus ssp. sativus under elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration?
Article number
1375_57
Pages
431 – 438
Language
English
Abstract
Future carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere may alter plant physiology resulting in yield and quality changes of vegetable crops.
Plant responses to elevated CO2 concentration (eCO2) are diverse and can be attributed to the photosynthetic pathway and to the balance of source and sink activities.
In the group of C3 plants, root/tuber vegetable crops with high sink strength may respond to eCO2 by increased growth and development.
Furthermore, higher biomass is often accompanied by dilution of valuable ingredients.
From a future human diet perspective, minimizing this effect in edible plant organs is desirable.
Ammonium-emphasized nitrogen supply may influence plants growth and allocation processes by changing the shoot-to-root-ratio under eCO2. This study tested for radish as a tuber vegetable crop, if the interaction between eCO2 and the nitrogen form affects organ-specific dilution or accumulation effects in valuable minerals.
Plants of Raphanus sativus ssp. sativus Celesta were grown in climate chambers at 400 ppm (aCO2) and 1000 ppm CO2 (eCO2) with either pure nitrate or ammonium-dominated nitrogen (N). A split plot design was applied with four repetitions and 22 plants per treatment.
Plants were harvested after four weeks and fresh matter, total N, macro- and micro-elements in dry matter, were assessed in leaves and tubers, respectively.
Pure nitrate nutrition resulted in higher leaf and lower tuber biomasses than ammonium-dominated fertilization under eCO2. Mineral dilution occurred in both leaves and tuber, with organ-specific patterns.
Due to the more significant dilution effect, ammonium nutrition resulted in lower tuber mineral contents than nitrate-N, except for Fe and Mn.
In future radish production, an increase in yield of the edible organ may be achieved by the choice of N fertilizer form, but an added value for human nutrition potentially only for Fe and Mn.
Plant responses to elevated CO2 concentration (eCO2) are diverse and can be attributed to the photosynthetic pathway and to the balance of source and sink activities.
In the group of C3 plants, root/tuber vegetable crops with high sink strength may respond to eCO2 by increased growth and development.
Furthermore, higher biomass is often accompanied by dilution of valuable ingredients.
From a future human diet perspective, minimizing this effect in edible plant organs is desirable.
Ammonium-emphasized nitrogen supply may influence plants growth and allocation processes by changing the shoot-to-root-ratio under eCO2. This study tested for radish as a tuber vegetable crop, if the interaction between eCO2 and the nitrogen form affects organ-specific dilution or accumulation effects in valuable minerals.
Plants of Raphanus sativus ssp. sativus Celesta were grown in climate chambers at 400 ppm (aCO2) and 1000 ppm CO2 (eCO2) with either pure nitrate or ammonium-dominated nitrogen (N). A split plot design was applied with four repetitions and 22 plants per treatment.
Plants were harvested after four weeks and fresh matter, total N, macro- and micro-elements in dry matter, were assessed in leaves and tubers, respectively.
Pure nitrate nutrition resulted in higher leaf and lower tuber biomasses than ammonium-dominated fertilization under eCO2. Mineral dilution occurred in both leaves and tuber, with organ-specific patterns.
Due to the more significant dilution effect, ammonium nutrition resulted in lower tuber mineral contents than nitrate-N, except for Fe and Mn.
In future radish production, an increase in yield of the edible organ may be achieved by the choice of N fertilizer form, but an added value for human nutrition potentially only for Fe and Mn.
Authors
J. Zinkernagel, M. Prince, M. Koppel, S. Rubo, L. Schmidt
Keywords
ammonium, carbon dioxide, nitrate, sink, source, red radish, vegetable
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