Investigation of the direct effect of a precision Ascophyllum nodosum biostimulant on nitrogen use efficiency in wheat seedlings

Authors

Łukasz Łangowski, Brandon Bioscience, Kerry, Ireland
Oscar Goñi, Plant Biostimulant Group, Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre, Munster Technological University, Kerry, Ireland; Brandon Bioscience, Kerry, IrelandFollow
Elomofe Ikuyinminu, Plant Biostimulant Group, Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre, Munster Technological University, Kerry, Ireland; Brandon Bioscience, Kerry, Ireland
Ewan Feeney, Brandon Bioscience, Kerry, Ireland
Shane O'Connell, Plant Biostimulant Group, Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre, Munster Technological University, Kerry, Ireland; Brandon Bioscience, Kerry, IrelandFollow

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0599-5011

Document Type

Article

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Disciplines

Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology | Plant Sciences

Publication Details

Plant Physiology and Biochemistry

Abstract

Reduction in the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and nitrogen (N) pollution of ground water by improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in crops has become an intensively investigated research topic in pursuit of a more sustainable future. Although, distinct solutions have been proposed there are only a few reports documenting the detailed interplay between observed plant growth dynamics and changes in plant N related transcriptional and biochemical changes. It was previously demonstrated that the application of a formulated biostimulant (PSI-362) derived from Ascophyllum nodosum (ANE) improves N uptake in Arabidopsis thaliana and in barley. In this study, the effect of PSI-362 on the growth dynamics of wheat seedlings was evaluated at different biostimulant and N supplementation rates. Wheat grown on N deficient MS medium was also analysed from the first hour of the treatment until the depletion of the nutrients in the medium 9 days later. During this time the biomass increase measured for PSI-362 treated plants versus untreated controls was associated with increased nitrate uptake, with surplus N assimilated by the biomass in the form of glutamate, glutamine, free amino acids, soluble proteins, and chlorophyll. Phenotypical and biochemical analysis were supported by evaluation of differential expression of genetic markers involved in nitrate perception and transport (TaNRT1.1/NPF6.3), nitrate and nitrite reduction (TaNR1 and TaNiR1) and assimilation (TaGDH2, TaGoGAT, TaGS1). Finally, a comparative analysis of the precision biostimulant PSI-362 and two generic ANEs demonstrated that the NUE effect greatly differs depending on the ANE formulation used.

Recommended Citation

Łukasz Łangowski, Oscar Goñi, Elomofe Ikuyinminu, Ewan Feeney, Shane O'Connell, Investigation of the direct effect of a precision Ascophyllum nodosum biostimulant on nitrogen use efficiency in wheat seedlings, Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Volume 179, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2022.03.006