Quantifying Nitrogen Uptake Rates of Maize Roots Using Stable Isotopes

Ishaya, Findimila Dio; Rasmussen, Amanda

Abstract

Nitrogen is an essential element for plant growth and development; however, application of nitrogen (N)-based fertilizers comes with a high environmental cost. This includes the energy required for production, volatilization from fields, and runoff or leaching to waterways triggering algal blooms. As such, a key goal in plant breeding programs is to develop varieties that maintain yield while requiring less fertilization. Central to this goal is understanding how roots take up nitrogen and finding traits that represent improvements in the net uptake. Maize, one of the most widely produced crops in the world, has seminal, crown, and brace root types, each under independent developmental control. Recent evidence suggests that these independent developmental patterns may result in different nutrient uptake characteristics. As such, understanding the uptake dynamics of each root type under different environmental conditions is an essential aspect for the selection of new maize varieties. A key method for tracking nitrogen uptake is the use of the15N stable isotope, which is naturally less abundant than the main14N isotope. This method involves replacing the14N in nutrient solutions with15N, exogenously providing it to the plant tissues (roots in this case), and then measuring the15N content of the tissues after a fixed amount of time. Here, we provide a brief overview of nitrogen uptake and remobilization in maize, and discuss current techniques for measuring nutrient uptake, with a focus on methods using stable isotopes of nitrogen.

Citation

Ishaya, F. D., & Rasmussen, A. (2024). Quantifying Nitrogen Uptake Rates of Maize Roots Using Stable Isotopes. Cold Spring Harbor Protocols, https://doi.org/10.1101/pdb.top108436

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 21, 2024
• Online Publication Date: May 13, 2024
• Publication Date: May 13, 2024
• Deposit Date: May 20, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 25, 2024
• Journal: Cold Spring Harbor Protocols
• Print ISSN: 1940-3402
• Electronic ISSN: 1559-6095
• Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/pdb.top108436
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/34874767
• Publisher URL: https://cshprotocols.cshlp.org/content/early/2024/05/13/pdb.top108436