Effect of boron supply on nitrate concentration and its reduction in roots and leaves of tobacco plants

Abstract

Shoot and root mass of tobacco plants treated with only 0.05 μM boron was decreased by 25 and 50 %, respectively, when compared to plants sufficiently supplied with B (2 and 5 μM). Leaf B content of 0.05 μM B-treated plants decreased (about 80-90 %) when compared to 2 μM B treated plants; this drop of B content were not as marked (about 25-45 %) in roots. Leaf and root nitrate contents in B-deficient plants were 45-60 % and 35-45 % lower, respectively, than those from 2 and 5 μM B treated plants. It is suggested that B deficiency might decrease nitrate uptake rather than nitrate reductase activity in tobacco plants. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.