H. Stoermer et al., NITROGEN DISTRIBUTION IN YOUNG NORWAY SPRUCE (PICEA-ABIES) TREES AS AFFECTED BY PEDOSPHERIC NITROGEN SUPPLY, Physiologia Plantarum, 101(4), 1997, pp. 764-769
In numerous locations in Europe spruce trees are exposed to high loads
of nitrogen. The present study was performed to characterize the dist
ribution of nitrogen compounds under these conditions. For this purpos
e Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) trees were cultivated under
close-to-natural conditions of a forest understory in soil from an app
arently nitrogen-limited field site in the Black Forest either with, o
r without supplementation of nitrogen as ammonium nitrate. After 11 an
d 20 months, growth, total nitrogen contents of the biomass, and total
soluble non-proteinogenic nitrogen compounds (TSNN, i.e. nitrate, amm
onium, soluble proteinogenic and non-proteinogenic amino compounds) in
needles, xylem sap and phloem exudate were analysed. After 20 months
of growth, N-fertilization had slightly enhanced the biomass of curren
t-, but not of 1-year-old shoots. At both harvests, total N-content of
1-year-old needles was increased by N-fertilization, whereas current-
year needles were not significantly affected. By contrast, TSNN was el
evated by N-fertilization in both current-year and 1-year-old needles.
The increase in TSNN was mainly attributed to an accumulation of argi
nine. Xylem sap analysis showed that the increase in TSNN of the needl
es was a consequence of enhanced nitrogen assimilation of the roots ra
ther than the shoot. Since also TSNN in phloem exudates was enhanced,
it appears that N-fertilization elevates the cycling pool of amino com
pounds in young Norway spruce trees. However, this pool seems to be su
bject to metabolic interconversion, since mainly glutamine and asparta
te are transported in the xylem from the roots to the shoot, but argin
ine accumulated in the needles and the phloem.