Summary
The effects of different nitrogen sources (NH4, NO3, and NH4 NO3) on the uptake of copper by wheat and barley growing in solution culture were compared in three experiments. Both the copper concentration and weight gain of shoots and roots were found to decrease in the order NO3>NH4 NO3>NH4 irrespective of the solution copper concentration. Ammonium nitrogen was also found to decrease the copper concentration of wheat grown on a copper deficient soil compared with a nitrate source of nitrogen.
Increasing concentrations of ammonium ions in solution culture caused ammonium toxicity and reduced both plant copper concentrations and vegetative yield. Biochemical investigations using paper chromatography revealed that the amino acid asparagine was the major detoxification product of ammonia in wheat. Copper deficient plants were found to have elevated levels of amino acids compared with controls, irrespective of the nitrogen source.
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Tills, A.R., Alloway, B.J. The effect of ammonium and nitrate nitrogen sources on copper uptake and amino acid status of cereals. Plant Soil 62, 279–290 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02374091
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02374091