• C assimilation (A) has been shown to limit the growth of young Lactuca sativa (lettuce) plants following an interruption in their external N supply. Further data from these plants were used to test two hypotheses: that N-limited growth of lettuce is associated with lower stomatal conductance (gs); and that reductions in gs result from adjustments to stomatal frequency or distribution. • The photosynthetic characteristics, nitrate and organic N-concentrations, as well as epidermal and stomatal distributions, were determined in leaves of hydroponically grown lettuce plants supplied continuously with N or with N removed for up to 14 d. • Although N-limited plants had lower maximum rates of A, comparisons at equivalent values of gs showed that A was not directly limited by organic-N but by gs. Reductions in gs under N-limiting conditions did not associate with adjustments to stomatal frequency or distribution. • Associations between plant N and A could arise either through stomata responding directly to signals induced by N deprivation or to increased CO2 partial pressure at the sites of carboxylation.
CITATION STYLE
Broadley, M. R., Escobar-Gutiérrez, A. J., Burns, A., & Burns, I. G. (2001). Nitrogen-limited growth of lettuce is associated with lower stomatal conductance. New Phytologist, 152(1), 97–106. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.0028-646X.2001.00240.x
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