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The relationship between resistance to tobacco brown spot and nitrogen metabolism in mature tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants

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Abstract

Differences in nitrogen metabolism were analyzed in mature leaves of three tobacco cultivars with different levels of resistance to brown spot disease (Alternaria alternata) including one resistant (JYH) and two susceptible cultivars (NC89 and CBH). The results were as follows: All three cultivars had low levels of both total nitrogen and leaf tissue NH4 +; the activity of glutamine synthetase (GS) declined sharply in all cultivars, but that of JYH was significantly higher than that of NC89 and CBH; levels of NAD(H)-glutamate dehydrogenase (NAD(H)-GDH) activity in JYH increased until 75 days after germination, and then decreased. In contrast, NAD(H)-GDH activities in NC89 and CBH increased gradually at maturity; apoplastic NH4 + concentrations in the three cultivars gradually increased, but their apoplastic pHs and NH3 compensation points decreased, and these apoplastic parameters were significantly higher in NC89 and CBH than in JYH. These results indicated that the nitrogen metabolism in mature leaves differed remarkably among tobacco cultivars with different levels of resistance to brown spot disease. The resistant cultivar has a greater capacity to re-use nitrogen, while the susceptible cultivar loses more nitrogen via ammonia volatilization, which plays an important role in the initiation of tobacco brown spot. Our data suggest that the characteristics of leaf nitrogen metabolism of tobacco cultivars affect the level of resistance to tobacco brown spot.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the special fund from Guizhou Provincial Tobacco Company (201230), the Key Special Program of China National Tobacco Corporation (TS-01-2011003) and the Program of China National Tobacco Corporation (110201002008).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. College of Tobacco Science, Henan Agricultural University, 450002, Zhengzhou, Henan, China

      Zhi-Xiao Yang, Xiao-Quan Zhang, Gang Xue, Yan-Fang Ding & Tie-Zhao Yang

    2. Key Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Guizhou Academy of Tobacco Science, 550081, Guiyang, Guizhou, China

      Zhi-Xiao Yang

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    1. Zhi-Xiao Yang
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    Correspondence to Tie-Zhao Yang.

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    Section editor: Adalberto Café Filho

    Zhi-Xiao Yang and Xiao-Quan Zhang contributed equally to this work.

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    Yang, ZX., Zhang, XQ., Xue, G. et al. The relationship between resistance to tobacco brown spot and nitrogen metabolism in mature tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants. Trop. plant pathol. 40, 219–226 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40858-015-0030-z

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