Open AccessNon-structural carbohydrates in maize with different nitrogen tolerance are affected by nitrogen addition
Author(s) -
Yali Wu,
Bo Zhao,
Qiang Li,
Fanlei Kong,
Lunjing Du,
Fang Zhou,
Haichun Shi,
Yongpei Ke,
Qinlin Liu,
Dongju Feng,
Jing Yuan
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0225753
Subject(s) - starch , cultivar , sugar , nitrogen , agronomy , biology , chromosomal translocation , yield (engineering) , carbohydrate metabolism , crop , vegetative reproduction , reducing sugar , horticulture , chemistry , botany , food science , biochemistry , gene , materials science , organic chemistry , metallurgy
Non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) are an important energy source for plant growth and metabolism. Analysis of NSC changes can provide important clues to reveal the adaptation mechanisms of plants to a specific environment. Although considerable differences have been reported in NSCs in response to nitrogen (N) application among crop species and cultivars, previous studies have mostly focused on the differences in leaves and stems. However, the effects of N on the characteristics of accumulation and translocation of NSC in maize with different levels of N tolerance remain unclear. To determine differences in the N levels, two cultivars (N-efficient ZH311 and N-inefficient XY508) were grown in field pots (Experiment I) and as hydroponic cultures (Experiment II) and were supplemented with different concentrations of N fertilizer. In both experiments, low-N stress significantly increased the accumulation of NSCs in maize vegetative organs and increased the translocation rate of NSCs in the stems and their apparent contribution to yield, thereby reducing the yield loss caused by low-N stress. N application had a greater effect on starch content in the vegetative organs of ZH311, but had less effect on soluble sugar (SS) and NSC content in the whole plant and starch content in the ears. ZH311 could convert more starch into SS under low N conditions to adapt to low N environments than XY508, while ensuring that grain yield and starch quantity were not affected. This is evidently an important physiological mechanism involved in this cultivar’s tolerance to low N conditions.