Please wait a minute...
Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2016, Vol. 15 Issue (12): 2775-2785    DOI: 10.1016/S2095-3119(16)61428-4
Physiology·Biochemistry·Cultivation·Tillage Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search |
Increased sink capacity enhances C and N assimilation under drought and elevated CO2 conditions in maize
ZONG Yu-zheng1, 2, SHANGGUAN Zhou-ping2
1 College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultrual University, Taigu 030801, P.R.China
2 State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Ministry of Water Resources/Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yangling 712100, P.R.China
Download:  PDF in ScienceDirect  
Export:  BibTeX | EndNote (RIS)      
Abstract      The maintenance of rapid growth under conditions of CO2 enrichment is directly related to the capacity of new leaves to use or store the additional assimilated carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). Under drought conditions, however, less is known about C and N transport in C4 plants and the contributions of these processes to new foliar growth. We measured the patterns of C and N accumulation in maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings using 13C and 15N as tracers in CO2 climate chambers (380 or 750 µmol mol–1) under a mild drought stress induced with 10% PEG-6000. The drought stress under ambient conditions decreased the biomass production of the maize plants; however, this effect was reduced under elevated CO2. Compared with the water-stressed maize plants under atmospheric CO2, the treatment that combined elevated CO2 with water stress increased the accumulation of biomass, partitioned more C and N to new leaves as well as enhanced the carbon resource in ageing leaves and the carbon pool in new leaves. However, the C counterflow capability of the roots decreased. The elevated CO2 increased the time needed for newly acquired N to be present in the roots and increased the proportion of new N in the leaves. The maize plants supported the development of new leaves at elevated CO2 by altering the transport and remobilization of C and N. Under drought conditions, the increased activity of new leaves in relation to the storage of C and N sustained the enhanced growth of these plants under elevated CO2.
Keywords:  drought        elevated CO2        allocation        carbon        nitrogen  
Received: 22 December 2015   Accepted:
Fund: 

This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31501276 and 31370425), the Ph D Research Startup Foundation of Shanxi Agricultural University, China (2013YT05) and the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education, China (20130204110024).

Corresponding Authors:  SHANGGUAN Zhou-ping, Tel: +86-29-87019107, Fax: +86-29-87012210, E-mail: shangguan@ms.iswc.ac.cn   
About author:  ZONG Yu-zheng, E-mail: zongyuzheng@163.com

Cite this article: 

ZONG Yu-zheng, SHANGGUAN Zhou-ping. 2016. Increased sink capacity enhances C and N assimilation under drought and elevated CO2 conditions in maize. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 15(12): 2775-2785.

Ainsworth E A, Bush D R. 2010. Carbohydrate export from the leaf: A highly regulated process and target to enhance photosynthesis and productivity. Plant Physiology, 155, 64–69.

Ainsworth E A, Long S P. 2005. What have we learned from 15 years of free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE)? A meta-analytic review of the responses of photosynthesis, canopy. New Phytologist, 165, 351–371.

Albert K R, Ro-Poulsen H, Mikkelsen T N, Michelsen A, Van der Linden L, Beier C. 2011. Effects of elevated CO2, warming and drought episodes on plant carbon uptake in a temperate heath ecosystem are controlled by soil water status. Plant, Cell & Environment, 34, 1207–1222.

Allen Jr L H, Kakani V G, Vu J C V, Boote K J. 2011. Elevated CO2 increases water use efficiency by sustaining photosynthesis of water-limited maize and sorghum. Journal of Plant Physiology, 168, 1909–1918.

Aranjuelo I, Ebbets A L, Evans R D, Tissue D T, Nogues S, van Gestel N, Payton P, Ebbert V, Adams W W, Nowak R S, Smith S D. 2011a. Maintenance of C sinks sustains enhanced C assimilation during long-term exposure to elevated [CO2] in Mojave Desert shrubs. Oecologia, 167, 339–354.

Aranjuelo I, Pardo A, Biel C, Save R, Azcon-Bieto J, Nogues S. 2009. Leaf carbon management in slow-growing plants exposed to elevated CO2. Global Change Biology, 15, 97–109.

Aranjuelo I, Pinto-Marijuan M, Avice J C, Fleck I. 2011b. Effect of elevated CO2 on carbon partitioning in young Quercus ilex L. during resprouting. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 25, 1527–1535.

Van Bel A J, Gamalei Y V, Ammerlaan A, Bik L P. 1992. Dissimilar phloem loading in leaves with symplasmic or apoplasmic minor-vein configurations. Planta, 186, 518–525.

Casson S, Gray J E. 2008. Influence of environmental factors on stomatal development. New Phytologist, 178, 9–23.

Deléens E, Cliquet J, Prioul J. 1994. Use of 13C and 15N plant label near natural abundance for monitoring carbon and nitrogen partitioning. Functional Plant Biology, 21, 133–146.

Drake B G, Gonzalez-Meler M A, Long S P. 1997. More efficient plants: A consequence of rising atmospheric CO2? Annual Review of Plant Physiology, 48, 609–639.

van den Driessche R. 1987. Importance of current photosynthate to new root growth in planted conifer seedlings. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 17, 776–782.

Dyckmans J, Flessa H. 2001. Influence of tree internal N status on uptake and translocation of C and N in beech: A dual 13C and 15N labeling approach. Tree Physiology, 21, 395–401.

Dyckmans J, Flessa H. 2005. Partitioning of remobilised N in young beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is not affected by elevated [CO2]. Annal of Forest Science, 62, 285–288.

Dyckmans J, Flessa H, Polle A, Beese F. 2000. The effect of elevated [CO2] on uptake and allocation of 13C and 15N in beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) during leafing. Plant Biology, 2, 113–120.

Heckathorn S A, DeLucia E H, Zielinski R E. 1997. The contribution of drought-related decreases in foliar nitrogen concentration to decreases in photosynthetic capacity during and after drought in prairie grasses. Physiologia Plantarum, 101, 173–182.

Houshmandfar A, Fitzgerald G J, Armstrong R, Macabuhay A A, Tausz M. 2015. Modelling stomatal conductance of wheat: An assessment of response relationships under elevated CO2. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 214, 117–123.

Kakani V G, Vu J C V, Allen Jr LH, Boote K J. 2011. Leaf photosynthesis and carbohydrates of CO2-enriched maize and grain sorghum exposed to a short period of soil water deficit during vegetative development. Journal of Plant Physiology, 168, 2169–2176.

Kalt-Torres W, Kerr P S, Usuda H, Huber S C. 1987. Diurnal changes in maize leaf photosynthesis I. Carbon exchange rate, assimilate export rate, and enzyme activities. Plant Physiology, 83, 283–288.

Kanemoto K, Yamashita Y, Ozawa T, Imanishi N, Nguyen N T, Suwa R, Mohapatra P K, Kanai S, Moghaieb R E, Ito J, El-Shemy H, Fujita K. 2009. Photosynthetic acclimation to elevated CO2 is dependent on N partitioning and transpiration in soybean. Plant Science, 177, 398–403.

Kaschuk G, Hungria M, Leffelaar P A, Giller K E, Kuyper T W. 2010. Differences in photosynthetic behaviour and leaf senescence of soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) dependent on N2 fixation or nitrate supply. Plant Biology, 12, 60–69.

Lacointe A, Kajji A, Daudet F A, Archer P, Frossard J S. 1993. Mobilization of carbon reserves in young walnut trees. Acta Botanica Gallica, 140, 435–441.

Larsen K S, Andresen L C, Beier C, Jonasson S, Albert K R, Ambus P E R, Arndal M F, Carter M S, Christensen S, Holmstrup M, Ibrom A, Kongstad J, Van Der Linden L, Maraldo K, Michelsen A, Mikkelsen T N, Pilegaard K I M, Prieme A, Ro-Poulsen H, Schmidt I K, et al. 2011. Reduced N cycling in response to elevated CO2, warming, and drought in a Danish heathland: Synthesizing results of the CLIMAITE project after two years of treatments. Global Change Biology, 17, 1884–1899.

Leakey A D B, Ainsworth E A, Bernacchi C J, Rogers A, Long S P, Ort D R. 2009. Elevated CO2 effects on plant carbon, nitrogen, and water relations: Six important lessons from FACE. Journal of Experimental Botany, 60, 2859–2876.

Long S P, Ainsworth E A, Leakey A D B, Nosberger J, Ort D R. 2006. Food for thought: Lower-than-expected crop yield stimulation with rising CO2 concentrations. Science, 312, 1918–1921.

Luo Y, Su B, Currie W S, Dukes J S, Finzi A C, Hartwig U, Hungate B, McMurtrie R E, Oren R, Parton W J, Pataki D E, Shaw M R, Zak D R, Field C B. 2004. Progressive nitrogen limitation of ecosystem responses to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide. Bioscience, 54, 731–739.

Millard P, Grelet G. 2010. Nitrogen storage and remobilization by trees: Ecophysiological relevance in a changing world. Tree Physiology, 30, 1083–1095.

Norby R J, Iversen C M. 2006. Nitrogen uptake, distribution, turnover, and efficiency of use in a CO2-enriched sweetgum forest. Ecology, 87, 5–14.

Norton J M, Smith J L, Firestone M K. 1990. Carbon flow in the rhizosphere of ponderosa pine seedlings. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 22, 449–455.

Paul M J, Foyer C H. 2001. Sink regulation of photosynthesis. Journal of Experimental Botany, 52, 1383–1400.

Pérez-López U, Robredo A, Miranda-Apodaca J, Lacuesta M, Muñoz-Rueda A, Mena-Petite A. 2013. Carbon dioxide enrichment moderates salinity-induced effects on nitrogen acquisition and assimilation and their impact on growth in barley plants. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 87, 148–158.

Pérez P, Alonso A, Zita G, Morcuende R, Martínez-Carrasco R. 2011. Down-regulation of Rubisco activity under combined increases of CO2 and temperature minimized by changes in Rubisco kcat in wheat. Plant Growth Regulation, 65, 439–447.

Peiser D B. 2014. Climate change 2014. Synthesis report. Environmental Policy Collection, 27, 408.

Reich P B, Hungate B A, Luo Y. 2006. Carbon-nitrogen interactions in terrestrial ecosystems in response to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide. Annual Review of Ecology Evolution and Systematics, 37, 611–636.

Robredo A, Pérez-López U, Miranda-Apodaca J, Lacuesta M, Mena-Petite A, Muñoz-Rueda A. 2011. Elevated CO2 reduces the drought effect on nitrogen metabolism in barley plants during drought and subsequent recovery. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 71, 399–408.

Ruehr N K, Offermann C A, Gessler A, Winkler J B, Ferrio J P, Buchmann N, Barnard R L. 2009. Drought effects on allocation of recent carbon: From beech leaves to soil CO2 efflux. New Phytologist, 184, 950–961.

Sekhar K M, Sreeharsha R V, Reddy A R. 2015. Differential responses in photosynthesis, growth and biomass yields in two mulberry genotypes grown under elevated CO2 atmosphere. Journal of Photochemistry & Photobiology (B Biology), 151, 172–179.

Stitt M, Krapp A. 1999. The interaction between elevated carbon dioxide and nitrogen nutrition: The physiological and molecular background. Plant, Cell & Environment, 22, 583–621.

Taiz L, Zeiger E. 2006. Plant Physiology. 4th ed. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland.

Tanner W, Beevers H. 2001. Transpiration, a prerequisite for long-distance transport of minerals in plants? Proceedings of the National Acaclemy of Science of the United States of America, 98, 9443–9447.

Thornton B, Paterson E, Kingston-Smith A H, Bollard A L, Pratt S M, Sim A. 2002. Reduced atmospheric CO2 inhibits nitrogen mobilization in Festuca rubra. Physiologia Plantarum, 116, 62–72.

Tobita H, Uemura A, Kitao M, Kitaoka S, Maruyama Y, Utsugi H. 2011. Effects of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide, soil nutrients and water conditions on photosynthetic and growth responses of Alnus hirsuta. Functional Plant Biology, 38, 702–710.

Vanuytrecht E, Raes D, Willems P. 2011. Considering sink strength to model crop production under elevated atmospheric CO2. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 151, 1753–1762.

Wardlaw I. 1969. The effect of water stress on translocation in relation to photosynthesis and growth. Australian Journal of Biological Sciences, 22, 1–16.

Zong Y Z, Shangguan Z P. 2014. Nitrogen deficiency limited the improvement of photosynthesis in maize by elevated CO2 under drought. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 13, 73–81.
[1] Dili Lai, Md. Nurul Huda, Yawen Xiao, Tanzim Jahan, Wei Li, Yuqi He, Kaixuan Zhang, Jianping Cheng, Jingjun Ruan, Meiliang Zhou. Evolutionary and expression analysis of sugar transporters from Tartary buckwheat revealed the potential function of FtERD23 in drought stress[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2025, 24(9): 3334-3350.
[2] Qing Li, Zhuangzhuang Sun, Zihan Jing, Xiao Wang, Chuan Zhong, Wenliang Wan, Maguje Masa Malko, Linfeng Xu, Zhaofeng Li, Qin Zhou, Jian Cai, Yingxin Zhong, Mei Huang, Dong Jiang. Time-course transcriptomic information reveals the mechanisms of improved drought tolerance by drought priming in wheat[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2025, 24(8): 2902-2919.
[3] Liulong Li, Zhiqiang Mao, Pei Wang, Jian Cai, Qin Zhou, Yingxin Zhong, Dong Jiang, Xiao Wang. Drought priming enhances wheat grain starch and protein quality under drought stress during grain filling[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2025, 24(8): 2888-2901.
[4] Xuehao Zhang, Qiuling Zheng, Yongjiang Hao, Yingying Zhang, Weijie Gu, Zhihao Deng, Penghui Zhou, Yulin Fang, Keqin Chen, Kekun Zhang. Physiology and transcriptome profiling reveal the drought tolerance of five grape varieties under high temperatures[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2025, 24(8): 3055-3072.
[5] Yang Chen, Xuyu Feng, Xiao Zhao, Xinmei Hao, Ling Tong, Sufen Wang, Risheng Ding, Shaozhong Kang. Biochar application enhances soil quality by improving soil physical structure under particular water and salt conditions in arid region of Northwest China[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2025, 24(8): 3242-3263.
[6] Xiaoli Zhang, Daolin Ye, Xueling Wen, Xinling Liu, Lijin Lin, Xiulan Lü, Jin Wang, Qunxian Deng, Hui Xia, Dong Liang. Genome-wide analysis of RAD23 gene family and a functional characterization of AcRAD23D1 in drought resistance in Actinidia[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2025, 24(5): 1831-1843.
[7] Biao Xie, Changfa Mao, Xu Shen, Yufeng Liu, Qingyue Liang, Guangyong Zhao. Inclusion of sorghum grain rich in condensed tannins in the diet of steers did not affect the nitrogen utilization efficiency but increased the urine nitrous oxide emissions[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2025, 24(4): 1296-1309.
[8] Yuxin Wang, Huan Zhang, Shaopei Gao, Hong Zhai, Shaozhen He, Ning Zhao, Qingchang Liu. The ABA-inducible gene IbTSJT1 positively regulates drought tolerance in transgenic sweetpotato[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2025, 24(4): 1390-1402.
[9] Yu Li, Shikui Dong, Qingzhu Gao, Yong Zhang, Hasbagan Ganjurjav, Guozheng Hu, Xuexia Wang, Yulong Yan, Fengcai He, Fangyan Cheng. Large herbivores increase the proportion of palatable species rather than unpalatable species in the plant community[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2025, 24(3): 859-870.
[10] Lulu Yu, Muhammad Ahsan Asghar, Antonios Petridis, Fei Xu. Unlocking Dendrobium officinale’s drought resistance: Insights from transcriptomic analysis and enhanced drought tolerance in tomato[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2025, 24(11): 4282-4293.
[11] Jingyi Feng, He Zhang, Hongyuan Zhang, Xirui Kang, Hui Wang, Hong Pan, Quangang Yang, Zhongchen Yang, Yajie Sun, Yanhong Lou, Yuping Zhuge. Optimization of fertilization combined with water-saving irrigation improves the water and nitrogen utilization efficiency of wheat and reduces nitrogen loss in the Nansi Lake basin, China[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2025, 24(10): 4034-4047.
[12] Jiayue He, Yanhua Chen, Yanrong Hao, Dili Lai, Tanzim Jahan, Yaliang Shi, Hao Lin, Yuqi He, Md. Nurul Huda, Jianping Cheng, Kaixuan Zhang, Jinbo Li, Jingjun Ruan, Meiliang Zhou. Combining GWAS and RNA-seq approaches identifies the FtADH1 gene for drought resistance in Tartary buckwheat[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2025, 24(10): 3739-3756.
[13] Guoling Guo, Haiyan Zhang, Weiyu Dong, Bo Xu, Youyu Wang, Qingchen Zhao, Lun Liu, Xiaomei Tang, Li Liu, Zhenfeng Ye, Wei Heng, Liwu Zhu, Bing Jia. Overexpression of PbrGA2ox1 enhances pear drought tolerance through the regulation of GA3-inhibited reactive oxygen species detoxification and abscisic acid signaling[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2024, 23(9): 2989-3011.
[14] Gaozhao Wu, Xingyu Chen, Yuguang Zang, Ying Ye, Xiaoqing Qian, Weiyang Zhang, Hao Zhang, Lijun Liu, Zujian Zhang, Zhiqin Wang, Junfei Gu, Jianchang Yang. An optimized strategy of nitrogen-split application based on the leaf positional differences in chlorophyll meter readings[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2024, 23(8): 2605-2617.
[15] Congcong Guo, Hongchun Sun, Xiaoyuan Bao, Lingxiao Zhu, Yongjiang Zhang, Ke Zhang, Anchang Li, Zhiying Bai, Liantao Liu, Cundong Li. Increasing root-lower characteristics improves drought tolerance in cotton cultivars at the seedling stage[J]. >Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2024, 23(7): 2242-2254.
No Suggested Reading articles found!