Abstract
An experiment was carried out on 8-year-old peach trees in the field to further study the chemical composition of storage nitrogen in mature trees and to relate tree performance in one growing season to the level of storage nitrogen in tree tissues during the previous winter. Storage nitrogen in dormant trees consisted mainly of soluble organic nitrogen, and free arginine was a principal constituent of this fraction. The arginine nitrogen content of the soluble nitrogen fraction increased with increasing nitrogen supply, but values were low compared with those found in young peach trees. The concentration of arginine in roots of dormant trees was the most sensitive indicator of the nitrogen status of the trees. In comparison, conventional leaf analysis for total nitrogen in midsummer was only about one-half as sensitive as an index of nitrogen status. Since there could be objections to using root tissue for analysis it is of interest to note that the next best estimate of the nitrogen status of the trees was given by the level of arginine nitrogen in leaf + flower buds. The growth of new shoots and especially the nitrogen content of leaves were in proportion to the levcl of storage nitrogen in dormant trees before growth commenced. However, flowering performance and fruit set per tree were not dependent upon the level of storage nitrogen in the trees. Flowers at full bloom from nil nitrogen and plus nitrogen treatments contained approximately the same content of total nitrogen and this may be the reason why nitrogen treatments did not influence fruit set. Nitrogen analyses and field observations indicated that stored nitrogen in nil nitrogen trees was preferentially used for reproductive processes rather than for vegetative growth. The amount of total nitrogen per leaf first increased and then decreased with elapsed time during the growing season. This latter loss was attributed to migration of nitrogen from ageing leaves to fruits and/or woody tissues in late summer and early autumn. Nitrogen treatment did not significantly alter the proportion of total nitrogen lost per leaf at this time, but the amount of total nitrogen lost per leaf usually increased with increasing nitrogen supply. Results are compared with those obtained in earlier work and the importance of reaccumulation of nitrogen from abscising leaves in the nitrogen economy of the trees is briefly discussed.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
Dormant peach trees stored nitrogen mainly as soluble organic nitrogen, with free arginine a principal constituent.
- Taxon
- peach tree
Prunus persicat0 - Organ / stage
- dormant treese0
- Outcome
- soluble organic nitrogene0
- Qualifier
- free arginine was a principal constituente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Storage nitrogen in dormant trees consisted mainly of soluble organic nitrogen, and free arginine was a principal constituent of this fraction.”
t0“peach tree”
Claim · model-written summary
Arginine nitrogen content rose with nitrogen supply but remained low compared with young peach trees.
- Taxon
- peach treePrunus persicat0
- Treatment
- nitrogen supplye0
- Outcome
- arginine nitrogen contente0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- young peach treese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The arginine nitrogen content of the soluble nitrogen fraction increased with increasing nitrogen supply, but values were low compared with those found in young peach trees.”
t0“peach tree”
Claim · model-written summary
Dormant root arginine concentration was the most sensitive indicator of peach nitrogen status.
- Taxon
- peach treePrunus persicat0
- Organ / stage
- roots of dormant treese0
- Outcome
- most sensitive indicator of the nitrogen statuse0
Not reportedComparatorValue
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The concentration of arginine in roots of dormant trees was the most sensitive indicator of the nitrogen status of the trees.”
t0“peach tree”
Claim · model-written summary
Midsummer leaf total nitrogen analysis was about half as sensitive for nitrogen status.
- Taxon
- peach treePrunus persicat0
- Organ / stage
- leafe0
- Outcome
- sensitive as an index of nitrogen statuse0
- Value
- about one-halfe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In comparison, conventional leaf analysis for total nitrogen in midsummer was only about one-half as sensitive as an index of nitrogen status.”
t0“peach tree”
Claim · model-written summary
Arginine nitrogen in leaf and flower buds gave the next best nitrogen-status estimate.
- Taxon
- peach treePrunus persicat0
- Organ / stage
- leaf + flower budse0
- Outcome
- estimate of the nitrogen statuse0
- Comparator
- next beste0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the next best estimate of the nitrogen status of the trees was given by the level of arginine nitrogen in leaf + flower buds.”
t0“peach tree”
Claim · model-written summary
New shoot growth and leaf nitrogen content were proportional to prior winter storage nitrogen.
- Taxon
- peach treePrunus persicat0
- Organ / stage
- new shootse0
- Compound
- storage nitrogene0
- Outcome
- growth of new shoots and especially the nitrogen content of leavese0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The growth of new shoots and especially the nitrogen content of leaves were in proportion to the levcl of storage nitrogen in dormant trees before growth commenced.”
t0“peach tree”
Claim · model-written summary
Flowering and fruit set did not depend on stored nitrogen level.
- Taxon
- peach treePrunus persicat0
- Compound
- storage nitrogene0
- Outcome
- flowering performance and fruit set per treee0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“flowering performance and fruit set per tree were not dependent upon the level of storage nitrogen in the trees.”
t0“peach tree”
Claim · model-written summary
Full-bloom flowers had approximately equal total nitrogen under nil and plus nitrogen treatments.
- Taxon
- peach treePrunus persicat0
- Organ / stage
- Flowers at full bloome0
- Treatment
- nil nitrogene0
- Outcome
- content of total nitrogene0
- Direction
- approximately the samee0
- Comparator
- plus nitrogen treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Flowers at full bloom from nil nitrogen and plus nitrogen treatments contained approximately the same content of total nitrogen”
t0“peach tree”
Claim · model-written summary
Stored nitrogen under nil nitrogen was preferentially used for reproduction over vegetative growth.
- Taxon
- peach treePrunus persicat0
- Treatment
- nil nitrogene0
- Outcome
- reproductive processese0
- Qualifier
- rather than for vegetative growthe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“stored nitrogen in nil nitrogen trees was preferentially used for reproductive processes rather than for vegetative growth.”
t0“peach tree”
Claim · model-written summary
Total nitrogen per leaf first increased then decreased during the growing season.
- Taxon
- peach treePrunus persicat0
- Organ / stage
- leafe0
- Outcome
- total nitrogen per leafe0
- Direction
- first increased and then decreasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The amount of total nitrogen per leaf first increased and then decreased with elapsed time during the growing season.”
t0“peach tree”
Claim · model-written summary
Late-season leaf nitrogen loss was attributed to migration to fruits or woody tissues.
- Taxon
- peach treePrunus persicat0
- Outcome
- losse0
- Qualifier
- migration of nitrogen from ageing leaves to fruits and/or woody tissuese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“This latter loss was attributed to migration of nitrogen from ageing leaves to fruits and/or woody tissues in late summer and early autumn.”
t0“peach tree”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen treatment did not significantly change the proportion of total nitrogen lost per leaf.
- Taxon
- peach treePrunus persicat0
- Treatment
- Nitrogen treatmente0
- Outcome
- proportion of total nitrogen lost per leafe0
- Direction
- did not significantly altere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Nitrogen treatment did not significantly alter the proportion of total nitrogen lost per leaf at this time”
t0“peach tree”
Claim · model-written summary
The amount of total nitrogen lost per leaf usually rose with nitrogen supply.
- Taxon
- peach treePrunus persicat0
- Treatment
- nitrogen supplye0
- Outcome
- amount of total nitrogen lost per leafe0
- Direction
- increasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the amount of total nitrogen lost per leaf usually increased with increasing nitrogen supply.”
t0“peach tree”
The same questions in other papers
nitrogen · nutrient: content · Prunus persica (peach)Positive and negative results
4 papers in the same direction as this paper · 5 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
6 papers more in this group
See all 10 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.