Nitrate reduction and compartmentation in tomato leaves. I. Nitrate accumulation in leaf sections in aqueous and gaseous medium

David Mills, Herman S. Lips

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Nitrate pools in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Azes) leaf sections were estimated. Nitrite accumulation in aqueous medium was found to be an inadequate estimate of nitrate pools in tomato leaves. The main reason for the cessation of nitrite accumulation was not depletion of nitrate in the metabolic pool but rather a rapid decay of nitrate reductase (NR) activity as measured by nitrite accumulation in vivo and in vitro. Nitrate diffuses out of the tissue into the medium at a rate higher than the accumulation of nitrite in the tissue. Nitrate leakage from the tissue accelerates the loss of NR activity. Nitrite accumulation in leaf sections kept in an anaerobic gaseous atmosphere ceased earlier than in aqueous medium, at a time when NR activity was still relatively high. Measuring nitrite accumulation in gaseous atmosphere is preferable since NR is more stable and movements of nitrate between pools more restricted.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)141-148
Number of pages8
JournalPhysiologia Plantarum
Volume61
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 1984

Keywords

  • Lycopersicon esculentum
  • nitrate leakage
  • nitrate reductase stability

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physiology
  • Genetics
  • Plant Science
  • Cell Biology

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