Effect of take-all root infections on nitrate uptake in winter wheat

The effect of take-all root lesions on nitrate uptake of wheat was investigated in two experiments under controlled conditions. Plants were supplied with a nutrient solution labelled with ¹⁵N during stem elongation and flowering to assess the distribution of the isotopic tracer in the different plant organs, and particularly in root segments located on both sides of take-all lesions. The ¹⁵N atom percentage excess measured in root segments located below lesions longer than 1 cm was reduced on average by half compared with that in healthy roots and root segments above lesions, reflecting a reduction in nitrogen uptake by these root segments. This reduction probably resulted from the invasion and breakdown of phloem vessels by the fungus hyphae, interrupting energy supply and thus the uptake process. Severely infected plants showed an increase in the uptake rate per unit of efficient root, which appeared to be a compensatory response to reduction of efficient root biomass in order to satisfy shoot nitrogen demand. However, this compensatory response was insufficient to ensure nitrogen accumulation equivalent to that of healthy plants, as reductions in nitrogen accumulated in roots and aerial parts at flowering were up to 56 and 49%, respectively, for plants with more than 50% of the root system below lesions longer than 1 cm.