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The effects of phenolic acid on nitrogen metabolism in Populus × euramericana ‘Neva’

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Abstract

The declines in soil fertility and productivity in continuously cropped poplar plantations are related to phenolic acid accumulation in the soil. Nitrogen is a vital life element for poplar and whether the accumulation of phenolic acid could influence nitrogen metabolism in poplar and thereby hinder continuous cropping is not clear. In this study, poplar cuttings of Populus × euramericana ‘Neva’ were potted in vermiculite, and phenolic acids at three concentrations (0X, 0.5X and 1.0X) were added according to the actual content (1.0X) in the soil of a second-generation poplar plantation. Each treatment had eight replicates. We measured gas exchange parameters and the activities of key enzymes related to nitrogen metabolism in the leaves. Leaf photosynthetic parameters varied with the concentration of phenolic acids. The net photosynthetic rate (PN) significantly decreased with increasing phenolic acid concentration, and non-stomatal factors might have been the primary limitation for PN. The activities of nitrate reductase (NR), glutamine synthetase (GS) and glutamate synthase (GOGAT), as well as the contents of nitrate nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, and total nitrogen in the leaves decreased with increasing phenolic acid concentration. This was significantly and positively related to PN (P < 0.05). The low concentration of phenolic acids mainly affected the transformation process of NO3− to NO2−, while the high concentration of phenolic acids affected both processes, where NO3− was transferred to NO2− and NH4+ was transferred to glutamine (Gln). Overall, phenolic acid had significant inhibitory effects on the photosynthetic productivity of Populus × euramericana ‘Neva’. This was probably due to its influence on the activities of nitrogen assimilation enzymes, which reduced the amount of amino acids that were translated into protein and enzymes. Improving the absorption and utilization of nitrogen by plants could help to overcome the problems caused by continuous cropping.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Ecological Restoration of Shandong Province, Forestry College, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China

    Hui Li, Huicheng Xie, Jie Zhao, Jing Guo & Shuyong Zhang

  2. College of Agriculture and Forestry Science, Linyi University, Linyi, 276000, China

    Hui Li

  3. Hydrographic Office of Shandong Province, Jinan, 250002, China

    Zilong Du & Xianshuang Xing

  4. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological Restoration, Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China of Jiangsu Province, Forestry College of Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China

    Xia Liu

Authors
  1. Hui Li
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  2. Huicheng Xie
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  3. Zilong Du
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  4. Xianshuang Xing
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  5. Jie Zhao
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  6. Jing Guo
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  7. Xia Liu
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  8. Shuyong Zhang
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Xia Liu or Shuyong Zhang.

Additional information

Project Funding: This work was supported by the Important National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program-2012CB416904), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 31700553, 31500511, 31600263, 31370702, 31500371), the research and demonstration on the key technology of vegetation restoration and reconstruction in the open pit of in eastern shandong hilly area (201504406), and the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province of China (No. ZR2015CL044).

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Corresponding Editor: Chai Ruihai.

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Li, H., Xie, H., Du, Z. et al. The effects of phenolic acid on nitrogen metabolism in Populus × euramericana ‘Neva’. J. For. Res. 29, 925–931 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-017-0526-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-017-0526-0

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