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Case of a stronger capability of maize seedlings to use ammonium being responsible for the higher 15N recovery efficiency of ammonium compared with nitrate

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Abstract

Aims

Matching a crop’s nitrogen (N) preference with the specific form of N is critical to enhance N recovery efficiency (NRE). Many studies show that maize (Zea mays L.) has a preference for NH4+ uptake over NO3−, but the contribution of this preference to NRE is unclear. This study evaluated the utilization of ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3−) by maize and its relationship with NRE.

Methods

Maize (cv. ‘Zhengdan 958’) seedlings were grown in a soil culture experiment with 15NH4+ or 15NO3− applied to sterilized or non-sterilized soils, and in a hydroponic experiment supplied with NH4+ or NO3−. We recorded maize root and shoot growth and N uptake, and the distribution of 15N-labeled N in the soil–plant system.

Results

Ammonium application enhanced maize root and shoot growth and N uptake compared with those of NO3−-treated plants in both culture systems. This enhancement by NH4+ was further promoted in sterilized soil. More applied N remained in soil supplied with NO3− than with NH4+ after seedling harvest. The NRE of NH4+ in maize was significantly higher than that of NO3−, while a similar proportion of applied N was lost with NH4+ or NO3−supply.

Conclusions

Ammonium supply enhances maize growth and NRE compared with NO3− under the present experimental condition, which may be attributable to the superior capability of maize to utilize NH4+.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported financially by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nos. XDB15030202 and XDB15030302) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31672229). We thank Robert McKenzie, PhD, from Liwen Bianji, Edanz Group China (www.liwenbianji.cn/ac), for editing the English text of a draft of this manuscript. We are grateful to three anonymous reviewers for their nice and detailed comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nan**g, 210008, China

    Hao Qing Zhang, Xue Qiang Zhao, Yi Ling Chen, Ling Yu Zhang & Ren Fang Shen

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei**g, 100049, China

    Hao Qing Zhang, Xue Qiang Zhao, Yi Ling Chen, Ling Yu Zhang & Ren Fang Shen

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  1. Hao Qing Zhang
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Correspondence to Xue Qiang Zhao.

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Zhang, H.Q., Zhao, X.Q., Chen, Y.L. et al. Case of a stronger capability of maize seedlings to use ammonium being responsible for the higher 15N recovery efficiency of ammonium compared with nitrate. Plant Soil 440, 293–309 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-019-04087-w

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