Does the Sulfur Assimilation Pathway Play a Role in the Response to Fe Deficiency in Maize (Zea mays L.) Plants?

Abstract

The finding that the methionine is the sole precursor of the mugineic acid family phytosiderophores induced us to evaluate whether sulfur assimilation pathway has a role in plant response to Fe deficiency. Maize plants were grown for 10 days in nutrient solution (NS) containing 80 µM Fe in the presence (+S) or absence (?S) of sulfate. After removing the root extraplasmatic iron pool, half of the plants of each treatment (+S and ?S) were transferred to a new Fe deficient NS (0.1 µM final Fe concentration) (?Fe). The remaining plants of each pre‐culture condition (+S and ?S) were transferred to a new NS containing 80 µM Fe (+Fe). Leaves were collected 4 and 24 hours from the beginning of Fe deprivation period and used for chemical analysis and enzyme assays. Results showed that iron content in the leaves was lower in plants grown in S‐deficiency than in those grown in the presence of the macro‐nutrient. Iron deprivation produced an increase in the level of SH compounds in both nutritive conditions (+S and ?S). These observations are suggestive of some relationship between S nutrition and Fe uptake. For this reason, we next investigated the influence of Fe availability on S metabolism through the evaluation of changes in ATPs and OASs activity, the first and the last enzyme of S assimilation pathway respectively. Results showed that S‐starvation increased the activity of both enzymes, but this effect disappeared in plants upon Fe deficiency suggesting that S metabolism is sensitive to Fe availability. Taken together these evidences suggest that S metabolism is sensitive to soil Fe‐availability for plant nutrition and support the hypothesis of S involvement in plant response to Fe deprivation.     

拟南芥莲座叶芥子油苷组成和含量对缺硫胁迫的响应

[目的]探讨缺硫胁迫下拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)生长到12片莲座叶时芥子油苷组成和含量的变化规律。[方法]以模式植物拟南芥为原材料,通过水培方法进行缺硫胁迫处理,采用高效液相色谱-质谱联用(HLPC-MS)法分析芥子油苷的组成和含量。[结果]缺硫胁迫处理48 h,拟南芥莲座叶中检测出7种脂肪族芥子油苷、4种吲哚族芥子油苷。缺硫胁迫对吲哚族芥子油苷含量影响不显著,对脂肪族芥子油苷含量影响显著。[结论]试验结果为探索缺硫胁迫下芥子油苷的代谢途径提供了理论依据。     

闽东南耕地土壤硫素平衡及有效硫丰缺状况研究

通过田间试验、土样和雨水、灌溉水采集测定,以及大气硫沉降和土壤硫淋溶流失有关数据收集,研究了闽东南耕地土壤硫素平衡与土壤有效硫丰缺状况。结果表明,早稻-晚稻轮作制和花生-甘薯轮作制每年分别需要91.86,128.67 kg/hm2硫素来满足生长需求,考虑到土壤硫的淋溶和流失以及扣除施肥带入的硫素、大气沉降和灌溉水硫的给源外,早稻-晚稻轮作制需补充22.35 kgS/hm2硫素,花生-甘薯轮作制需补充64.89 kg/hm2硫素,才能维持土壤硫素输入与输出的平衡。178个土壤样品有效硫含量测定结果表明,当前闽东南耕地土壤有效硫平均为26.2mg/kg,其中水田为22.35 mg/kg,旱地则为28.31 mg/kg,低于有效硫临界指标的土样数占总数的69.0%,有效硫含量属于中等级别的只占16.3%,说明硫已成为闽东南耕作土壤的养分限制因子之一。     

Nitrogen:sulphur ratio alters competition between Trifolium repens and Lolium perenne under cutting: Production and competitive abilities

Grasslands species, like others crops, no longer benefit from high atmospheric sulphur deposition. This may cause sulphur limitation and in turn may induce a shift in plant communities by altering species performance and competitive abilities. To test this hypothesis, a greenhouse pot experiment was designed to investigate the interacting effects of sulphur (S) and nitrogen (N) availability on production, morphology and competitive abilities of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). Plants were grown in monocultures and mixtures during 4 months. They were supplied with combinations of three levels of S and three levels of N and subjected to three defoliation events. Both S and N gradients altered plants performance and modulated competitive interactions. In L. perenne, above- and below-ground dry matter production, leaf and tiller number and contribution to mixture DM production were little affected by S, but highly by N. For T. repens, these traits were significantly increased by S, but only slightly by N. At establishment, T. repens was subjected to a significant interspecific competition at low N–low S and high N–high S. But at regrowth (cuts 2 and 3), T. repens was much more affected by intra- than interspecific competition. L. perenne was only sensitive to competition (intraspecific) when N supply was combined with no or moderate S supply. We conclude that N:S ratio of soil appears to drive species production, morphology and competitive abilities, which in turn affect leguminous–gramineous species ratio and grassland plant community structure. Since the growth of T. repens was significantly reduced in low S treatments, our results suggest that the drastic fall in atmospheric sulphur deposition could restrict leguminous species in high N soil conditions.     

不同品种春小麦硫、钙、镁吸收动态模型及分布运转的研究

以蒙麦36号等3个春小麦品种为材料,系统研究了S,Ca,Mg 3种养分在不同生育时期体内含量变化及分布运转规律;查明了其百公斤子粒吸收量,消耗系数,生产效率;建立了3个春小麦品种S,Ca,Mg养分的吸收动态模型。并应用模型理想地摸拟了最大吸收量、最大吸收速率及其出现时间。     

Sulphur speciation and turnover in soils: evidence from sulphur K-edge XANES spectroscopy and isotope dilution studies

Sulphur K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy was used to quantify S species in humic substance extracts from ten soils from the UK, China and New Zealand, which differ in land use and agricultural management. XANES spectroscopy showed the presence of most reduced (sulphides, disulphides, thiols and thiophenes), intermediate (sulphoxides and sulphonates) and highly oxidised S (ester sulphates) forms, with the three groups representing 14-32%, 33-50% and 22-53% of the organic S in the humic substance extracts, respectively. Land use had a profound influence on the relative proportions of S species. Well-drained arable soils generally had a higher proportion of organic S present in the most oxidised form than the grassland soils collected nearby, whereas paddy soils showed a more reduced profile due to episodic flooding. In the Broadbalk Classical Experiment at Rothamsted, reversion of an arable system to grassland or woodland in the 1880s resulted in an increase of the most reduced and intermediate S species at the expense of the most oxidised S species. Long-term applications of farmyard manure to an arable plot also shifted S species from the most oxidised to the intermediate and the most reduced species. Sulphur immobilisation and gross mineralisation were determined in seven soils using the ³⁵S isotope dilution method. Gross mineralisation during a 53-day incubation correlated more closely with the amounts of the most reduced and intermediate S species than with the most oxidised S species, suggesting that the former (C-bonded S) were the main source of organic S for mineralisation in the short-term.     

Diffusion of N-labelled N2O into soil columns: a promising method to examine the fate of N2O in subsoils

Nitrous oxide research has generally focused directly on measuring fluxes of N₂O from the soil surface. The fate of N₂O in the subsoil has often been placed in the ‘too hard’ basket. However, determining the production, fate and movement of N₂O in the subsoil is vital in fully understanding the sources of surface fluxes and in compiling accurate inventories for N₂O emissions. The aim of this study was to generate and introduce into soil columns ¹⁵N labelled N₂O, and to try and determine the consumption of the ¹⁵N₂O and production of ambient N₂O. Columns, 100 cm long by 15 cm diameter, were repacked with sieved soil (sampled from 0 to 5 cm depth) and instrumented with silicone rubber gas sampling ports. Nitrous oxide enriched with ¹⁵N was generated using a thermal decomposition process at 300 °C and then transferred to 2 l flasks. After equilibrating with SF₆ tracer gas the ¹⁵N₂O was introduced into the soil columns via passive diffusion. Gas samples from the soil profile and headspace flux were taken over a 12-day period. A watering event was simulated to perturb the ¹⁵N₂O gas composition in the soil profile. Using the measured ¹⁵N enriched fluxes and the rate of decline in ¹⁵N in the N₂O reservoir, from which the N₂O diffused into the soil, we calculated an N₂O sink (consumption plus absorption by water) equal to 0.48 ng N₂O g⁻¹ soil h⁻¹. The decrease in the ¹⁵N enrichment between successive soil depths indicated N₂O production in the soil profile and we calculated a net N₂O production rate of 0.88 ng N₂O g⁻¹ soil h⁻¹. This pilot study demonstrated the potential for simultaneously measuring both N₂O consumption and production rates, using the ¹⁵N enrichment of the N₂O measured. Further potential refinements of the methodology are discussed.     

Arylsulphatase activity of different latosol soils of Ghana cropped to cocoa (Theobroma cacao) and coffee (Coffea canephora var. robusta)

Summary A study was undertaken to investigate arylsulphatase activity in 15 soils cropped to cocoa (Theobroma cacao) and coffee (Coffea canephora var. robusta) in Ghana. The arylsulphatase activity was correlated positively and significantly with organic C, total N, and cation exchange capacity, and correlated negatively with acetate soluble sulphate. The enzyme was deactivated at an incubation temperature of over 60°C. Preheating and oven-drying of soils decreased arylsulphatase activity. Addition of 1.0 ml toluene during the assay resulted in a sharp decline in arylsuphatase activity. The addition of trace elements at a concentration of 1 ppm caused a reduction in soil arylsulphatase activity compared with that of the untreated samples.     

Effects of sulphur on yield and malting quality of barley

Eight field experiments were conducted at four sites in the UK in 2003 and 2004 to investigate the effects of sulphur (S) application on yield and malting quality of barley. Significant yield responses to S additions were obtained in five out of the eight experiments, with yield increases ranging from 0.2 to 1.2 t/ha (4.7–22.5%). At the two most S-deficient sites, S application significantly increased malt diastatic power, alpha-amylase activity, friability and homogeneity, and decreased (1→3,1→4)-β-glucan concentration in the wort, indicating an improved endosperm modification during malting. Sulphur applications also significantly increased the concentration of S-methylmethionine (the precursor of dimethylsulphide) in kilned malt, which could impact on beer flavour. When the supply of N was limiting, S applications decreased grain N concentration due to a dilution effect as a result of increased grain yield. In some cases, S applications resulted in decreased grain size. At sites non-deficient or marginally deficient in S, applications of S had little effect on grain or malting quality parameters. The need to maintain an adequate S supply to barley for both yield and malting quality was demonstrated.     

钼的生物学功能及其在动物生产中的作用

分别从营养学和中毒学角度论述了钼在饲料及动物机体内的分布、吸收、代谢规律，从酶学的观点阐述了钼在动物体内的生物学作用及钼的营养与中毒的机制；钼除与酶有关外，与日粮中的铜、硫、钨等元素关系密切；动物钼缺乏或过量，与人和动物的多种疾病有关。