Iso-osmotic regulation of nitrate accumulation in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

Concerns about possible health hazards arising from human consumption of lettuce and other edible vegetable crops with high concentrations of nitrate have generated demands for a greater understanding of processes involved in its uptake and accumulation in order to devise more sustainable strategies for its control. This paper evaluates a proposed iso-osmotic mechanism for the regulation of nitrate accumulation in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) heads. This mechanism assumes that changes in the concentrations of nitrate and all other endogenous osmotica (including anions, cations and neutral solutes) are continually adjusted in tandem to minimise differences in osmotic potential of the shoot sap during growth, with these changes occurring independently of any variations in external water potential. The hypothesis was tested using data from six new experiments, each with a single unique treatment comprising a separate combination of light intensity, N source (nitrate with or without ammonium) and nitrate concentration carried out hydroponically in a glasshouse using a butterhead lettuce variety. Repeat measurements of plant weights and estimates of all of the main soluble constituents (nitrate, potassium, calcium, magnesium, organic anions, chloride, phosphate, sulphate and soluble carbohydrates) in the shoot sap were made at intervals from about 2 weeks after transplanting until commercial maturity, and the data used to calculate changes in average osmotic potential in the shoot. Results showed that nitrate concentrations in the sap increased when average light levels were reduced by between 30 and 49 % and (to a lesser extent) when nitrate was supplied at a supra-optimal concentration, and declined with partial replacement of nitrate by ammonium in the external nutrient supply. The associated changes in the proportions of other endogenous osmotica, in combination with the adjustment of shoot water content, maintained the total solute concentrations in shoot sap approximately constant and minimised differences in osmotic potential between treatments at each sampling date. There was, however, a gradual increase in osmotic potential (ie a decline in total solute concentration) over time largely caused by increases in shoot water content associated with the physiological and morphological development of the plants. Regression analysis using normalised data (to correct for these time trends) showed that the results were consistent with a 1:1 exchange between the concentrations of nitrate and the sum of all other endogenous osmotica throughout growth, providing evidence that an iso-osmotic mechanism (incorporating both concentration and volume regulation) was involved in controlling nitrate concentrations in the shoot

Accounting for the constrained availability of land: a comparison of biobased ethanol, polyethylene, and PLA with regard to non-renewable energy use and land use

In a bio-based economy, chemicals, materials, biofuels, and other forms of energy will be produced from biomass. Pressure on agricultural land will thus increase, calling for highly effi cient solutions in terms of land use, with minimal environmental impacts. In order to gain better insight into the available options and their trade-offs, this perspective studies the production of polylactic acid (PLA), bioethanol, and bio-based polyethylene (PE) from wheat, maize, sugarbeet, sugarcane, and Miscanthus. While in current agricultural practice some plants are harvested and used as whole crop (e.g. Miscanthus), for others only part of the plant is used, with the remainder being returned to the fi eld (e.g. wheat straw). In order to obtain an understanding of the unused potential we assume as default case that all agricultural residues and processing co-products are used for energy purposes, thereby replacing non-renewable energy. We conclude that this agricultural practice would allow to substantially reduce non-renewable energy use (NREU). We also fi nd a clear difference in ranking depending on whether we study (i) NREU per (metric) tonne of product or (ii) Avoided NREU per hectare of land. The latter seems a suitable choice in a world where land availability is limited. In this case, we identify PLA as the preferred choice, irrespective of the type of crop. The production of ethanol for the replacement of fuels scores as the worst option for all crops. For each of the products studied, sugarcane offers the highest savings per hectare followed by sugarbeet

Short term effect of ploughing a permanent pasture on N2O production from nitrification and denitrification

Soils are an important source of N2O, which can be produced both in the nitrification and the denitrification processes. Grassland soils in particular have a high potential for mineralization and subsequent nitrification and denitrification. When ploughing long term grassland soils, the resulting high supply of mineral N may provide a high potential for N2O losses. In this work, the short-term effect of ploughing a permanent grassland soil on gaseous N production was studied at different soil depths. Fertiliser and irrigation were applied in order to observe the effect of ploughing under a range of conditions. The relative proportions of N2O produced from nitrification and denitrification and the proportion of N2 gas produced from denitrification were determined using the methyl fluoride and acetylene specific inhibitors. Irrespectively to ploughing, fertiliser application increased the rates of N2O production, N2O production from nitrification, N2O production from denitrification and total denitrification (N2O + N2). Application of fertiliser also increased the denitrification N2O/N2 ratio both in the denitrification potential and in the gaseous N productions by denitrification. Ploughing promoted soil organic N mineralization which led to an increase in the rates of N2O production, N2O production from nitrification, N2O production from denitrification and total denitrification (N2O + N2). In both the ploughed and unploughed treatments the 0¿10 cm soil layer was the major contributing layer to gaseous N production by all the above processes. However, the contribution of this layer decreased by ploughing, gaseous N productions from the 10 to 30 cm layer being significantly increased with respect to the unploughed treatment. Ploughing promoted both nitrification and denitrification derived N2O production, although a higher proportion of N2O lost by denitrification was observed as WFPS increased. Recently ploughed plots showed lower denitrification derived N2O percentages than those ploughed before as a result of the lower soil water content in the former plots. Similarly, a lower mean nitrification derived N2O percentage was found in the 10¿30 cm layer compared with the 0¿10 c