Nitrogen and water uptake patterns and growth of plants at various minimum solution nitrate concentrations

Increasing fertilizer and energy costs, as well as awareness of environmental quality, require greater fertilizer use efficiency. Providing plant nutrients in the quantity and at the time needed, possibly through fertigation, should lead to more efficient fertilizer use. Knowledge on crop nutrient requirements and minimum nutrient concentrations in the root zone at different stages of growth is important. Hydroponic greenhouse experiments were conducted using tomato and lettuce plants to determine minimum solution nitrogen concentrations which would allow maximum plant growth for a system of frequent nitrogen application and to quantitatively measure nitrogen uptake rates as a function of time. Minimum N levels for the tomato experiment were 2, 10, and 20 mg/1. Solutions were analyzed three times a week to determine N uptake and sufficient KNO₃ was added each time to supply the plant N demand so that the targeted minimum N concentration would be achieved at the next sampling time. The minimum N concentrations in the lettuce trial were 5, 10, 20 and 50 mg/1. A control consisting of 105 mg/1 N was used for both crops. There was no significant effect of N concentration on N uptake throughout the experiment for lettuce and during the early stages of tomato growth. Higher N uptake during the latter stages of tomato growth occurred for the control as compared to the other treatments. The latter observation was probably caused by N diffusion gradient development because of the dense root system and inadequate solution stirring. Plant growth results were comparable to N uptake results. The ratio of N to water uptake was fairly constant throughout the growth period with a trend toward decrease in the ratio with time for tomatoes. Low N concentrations can occur at the root surface without limiting plant growth.