Abstract
Presence of 100-200 ppb 15N-labled NO2 in the air almost doubled the growth (biomass, total leaf area), nutrient (C, N, S, P, K, Ca, Mg) uptake and metabolism (free amino acid content) of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia (Takahashi et al., 2005) and Arabidopsis thaliana (Takahashi et al., 2006) as compared with plants grown in absence of atmospheric nitrogen oxides. Mass spectroscopic analyses showed that the contribution of N derived from NO2 to total plant N is negligible (3-5% or less). The atmospheric NOx seems to act as a multifunctional signal. The present study investigates this plant vitalization signal effect of NO2 on lettuce (Lactuca sativa), sunflower (Helinthus annuus), cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) to address its cross-species generality and organ specificity.
Takahashi, M. et al. New Phytol. 168: 149-154 (2005).
Takahashi, M. et al. Cost 859 Workshop, 31 August-2 Septmember 2006, Saint-Etienne, France, (2006).
