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Plant and Cell Physiology, 1986, Vol. 27, No. 5 791-799
© 1986

Article

Variation in Natural Abundance of 15N among Plant Parts and in 15N/14N Fractionation during N2 Fixation in the Legume-Rhizobia Symbiotic System

Tadakatsu Yoneyama1,1, Kounosuke Fujita2, Tomio Yoshida3, Tetsuo Matsumoto4, Iwao Kambayashi5 and Jinya Yazaki5

1Department of Applied Physiology, National Institute of Agrobiological Resources Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305, Japan
2Faculty of Applied Biological Science, Hiroshima University Fukuyama, Hiroshima 720, Japan
3Institute of Applied Biochemistry, University of Tsukuba Sakura-mura, Niihari, Ibaraki 305, Japan
4Dow Chemical Japan Limited 92-2 Ogurano, Gotemba, Shizuoka 412, Japan
5Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Nihon University Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 154, Japan

Sixteen legumes were grown in N-free media so that N was supplied entirely by symbiotic N2 fixation. The plant tissues were analyzed for natural 15N abundance (expressed as {delta}15N per mil relative to air N2) with a ratio mass spectrometer. The nodules of desmodium, centro, siratro, soybean and winged bean showed high enrichment in 15N (~+9{per thousand}), while red clover showed slight enrichment (~+2{per thousand}). The nodules of 9 other forage legumes (Townsville stylo, white clover, alsike clover, common vetch, Chinese milk vetch, senna, alfalfa, ladino clover, and hairy vetch) showed little enrichment in 15N.

In all the legumes investigated, particularly in the ureide-transporting plants such as desmodium, centro, siratro, soybean, winged bean and field bean, the {delta}15N value of the shoots was negative (~–3.2{per thousand}). The {delta}15N value of the shoots in winged bean and field bean varied by about 1{per thousand} depending on the Rhizobium strains used. The isotopic mass balance of 13 legumes indicated that isotopic fractionation occurs during N2 fixation by the legume-rhizobia symbiosis with a preference for 14N over 15N, resulting in a {delta}15N value of –0.2 to –2{per thousand} in the whole plant.

The results indicate that 15N/14N isotopic discrimination with a preference for the lighter atom may occur in both N2 fixation and export of fixed N from nodules.

1Present address: Department of Soils and Fertilizers, National Agriculture Research Center, Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305, Japan.

(Received October 8, 1985; Accepted April 7, 1986)
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L. A. Cernusak, K. Winter, and B. L. Turner
Plant {delta}15N Correlates with the Transpiration Efficiency of Nitrogen Acquisition in Tropical Trees
Plant Physiology, November 1, 2009; 151(3): 1667 - 1676.
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