Involvement of Ureides in Nitrogen Fixation Inhibition in Soybean¹

Rachid Serraj², Vincent Vadez, R. Ford Denison, and Thomas R. Sinclair^*

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Agronomy Physiology Laboratory, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, P.O. Box 110965, Gainesville, Florida 32611-0965 (R.S., V.V., T.R.S.); and Department of Agronomy and Range Science, University of California, Davis, California 95616 (R.F.D.)

The sensitivity of N₂ fixation to drought stress in soybean (Glycine max Merr.) has been shown to be associated with high ureide accumulation in the shoots, which has led to the hypothesis that N₂ fixation during drought is decreased by a feedback mechanism. The ureide feedback hypothesis was tested directly by measuring the effect of 10 mM ureide applied by stem infusion or in the nutrient solution of hydroponically grown plants on acetylene reduction activity (ARA). An almost complete inhibition of ARA was observed within 4 to 7 d after treatment, accompanied by an increase in ureide concentration in the shoot but not in the nodules. The inhibition of ARA resulting from ureide treatments was dependent on the concentration of applied ureide. Urea also inhibited ARA but asparagine resulted in the greatest inhibition of nodule activity. Because ureides did not accumulate in the nodule upon ureide treatment, it was concluded that they were not directly inhibitory to the nodules but that their influence mediated through a derivative compound, with asparagine being a potential candidate. Ureide treatment resulted in a continual decrease in nodule permeability to O₂ simultaneous with the inhibition of nitrogenase activity during a 5-d treatment period, although it was not clear whether the latter phenomenon was a consequence or a cause of the decrease in the nodule permeability to O₂.

Plant Physiol. (1999) 119: 289-296
Copyright Clearance Center:   0032-0889/99/119//08
© 1999 American Society of Plant Physiologists

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