Monitoring of Nitrogen Uptake in Curcuma alismatifolia Gagnep.

by 15N Isotope

Chamaiporn Anuwong1* and Soraya Ruamrungsri1

1 Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand

* Corresponding author. E-mail: ,

ABSTRACT

Rhizomes of Curcuma alismatifolia Gagnep. were planted in soilless culture medium containing sand: perlite: vermiculite mixed at a radio of 1:1:1. The 15N isotope (100 mg/l of Na15NO3) was labeled in the nutrient solution and fed to plants at four growth stages (1st – 4th leaf fully expanded stages) and the nutrient was supplied either via roots or leaves. At 17 weeks after planting, the results showed that fertilizer feeding via roots gave higher plant height and leaf length than feeding via leaves. However, fertilizers feeding via roots delayed flowering at about one week when compared with fertilizer feeding via leaves. Supplying with 15N isotope form in each growth stages were not effected plant height, leaf length and days to flowering. Further research is needed to monitoring the concentration of labeled-N in plant parts.

Key words: Nitrogen uptake, Growth and development, 15N Isotope, Curcuma

INTRODUCTION

Curcuma alismatifolia Gagnep. is a monocotyledonous perennial and herbaceous plant; also known as Siam tulip or Patumma. It is in Zingiberaceae family (Wichailux, 2005). Products of Curcuma are cut flowers and rhizomes both exported by Thailand and their value increase every years. The exported rhizomes were about 1.3 million rhizomes, valued over than 4 million Euros in 2006, which the demand increased double than in 2001 sold by commercial auction in Netherlands (Flower Council of Holland, 2007).

In C. alismatifolia, nitrogen fertilizer plays an important role for growth and development (Ruamrungsri and Apavatjrut, 2003). Most of fertilizer applications for Curcuma in Thailand were top dressing on soil (Wichailux, 2005) which allowed plant to absorbed mineral via plant roots. However, foliar fertilizer application usually uses for nutrient inadequate compensation. Foliar nutrition plays an important role when it is desirable to increase nutrient content in certain aboveground plant organism (Swietlik and Faust, 1984). There was no information about the methods of fertilizer application via roots and leaves for Curcuma growth. Therefore, this research aims to study the effects of nitrogen application via roots and leaves on growth and development of Curcuma plants. In addition, nitrogen absorption, assimilation, translocation and accumulation by different application methods were also examined in this experiment using 15N isotope.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Rhizomes of C. alismatifolia 1.5 - 2.0 cm in diameter and with 4 storage roots are planted in 6 inch pots containing a mixture of perlite: vermiculite: sand (ratio 1:1:1) as growing media. Whenthe1stleafwas fully expanded, plants were divided in two groups according to the methods of fertilizer application. The first group was supplied via roots and the other group was supplied via leaves. The 100 mg/L of Na15 NO3 was fed to plants at four stages of growth i.e. the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th fully expanded leaf for 8, 11, 13 and 14 weeks after planting (WAP), respectively. The normalnitrogen (NaNO3)and other nutrients were supplied equally in each treatment before or after 15N feeding, depended on growth stages. At 17 weeks after planting (WAP), data of plant growth and development and days to flowering were collected. The experimental design was factorial in CRD, 2x4 factorial treatments with 12 pots per treatment.

RESULTS

At 17 weeks after planting, plant height and leaf length of plant grown under different fertilizer application method were found (Table 1) Both plant height and leaf length of plants supplied fertilizer via root were significantly higher that those of leaves. However, the application at different growth stages did not affect plant growth. There were not significantly different in plant height and leaf length of Curcuma when plants were supplied with 15N- NO3 at different growth stages. There was an interaction between stage of growth and methods of fertilizer application in both of plant height and leaf length (Table 1).

Table 1 Effect of methods of fertilizer application and supplying stages on plant growth and development at 17 weeks after planting

Supplying stages / Plant Growth
Plant height / Average2/ / Leaf length / Average2/
Application methods / Application methods
Via Roots / Via leaves / Via Roots / Via leaves
1 LF / 30.10 / 32.57 / 31.33a / 21.23 / 22.23 / 21.73a
2 LF / 30.63 / 33.50 / 32.07a / 21.00 / 20.73 / 20.87a
3 LF / 34.40 / 26.93 / 30.67a / 24.00 / 20.03 / 22.02a
4 LF / 34.30 / 27.00 / 30.65a / 23.73 / 20.77 / 22.25a
Average1/ / 32.35a / 30.00b / 22.49a / 20.94b
LSD at P< 0.05
Supplying stages / ns / ns
Application methods / * / *
Stage x application / * / *

1/ Means with the same letter within row are not significant difference at P < 0.05 by least significant difference.

2/ Means with the same letter within column are not significant difference at P < 0.05 by least significant difference.

Earliness flowering period was found in plant supplied with foliar fertilizer application (Table2). There was no significantly different in days to flowering of Curcuma when plants were supplied with 15N- NO3 at different growth stages. Moreover, there was no interaction between supplying stages and the method of fertilizer application on days to flowering (Table 2)

Table 2 Effect of the method of fertilizer application and supplying stages on days to flower at 18 weeks after planting

Supplying stages / Days to flower / Average2/
Application methods
Via Roots / Via leaves
1 LF / 124 / 117.33 / 120.67a
2 LF / 123 / 119 / 121.00a
3 LF / 121.33 / 117.33 / 119.33a
4 LF / 124.33 / 117.33 / 120.83a
Average1/ / 123.17a / 117.75b
LSD at P< 0.05
Supplying stages / ns
Application methods / *
Stage x application / ns

1/ Means with the same letter within row are not significant difference at P < 0.05 by least significant difference.

2/ Means with the same letter within column are not significant difference at P < 0.05 by least significant difference.

DISCUSSION

The increase of plant height and leaf length in the fertilizer application via roots treatment was found and it was better than another method (via leaves). It may be because the leaves surface was covered with cuticle and brought about the slow of nutrition uptake. Marschner (1986) reported that the rates of nutrient uptake by intact leaves are much lower than the rates of uptake by roots, since the cuticle layer severely restricts diffusion to the plasma membranes, the uptake sites. Similar result was also found in rice and wheat (Alam et al., 2010; Zafar et al., 2006), the foliar fertilizer made earlier flowering than the fertilizer applied via roots. Moreover, the grain protein was higher when N fertilizer was applied to roots than when applied to the leaf (Rawluk et al., 1999). The nutrient uptake by roots decline with the onset of the reproductive organ (Marschner, 1986), therefore the continuously supply with foliar fertilizer should accumulate more fertilizer than the application via roots and lead to the earlier flowering. Beside, the supplying stages were not significantly difference in plant height, leaf length and days to flower because each supplying stages received the same amount of fertilizers concentration.

CONCLUSION

Fertilizer application via roots increased plant height and leaf length than foliar application. However, fertilizers supplied via roots delayed flowering about one week when compared with fertilizer supplied via leaves. The 15N – labeling separated feeding in each growth stage was not significantly different in all parameters. Further research is needed to monitoring the concentration of labeled-N in plant parts.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We thank the H.M. the King’s Initiative Centre for Flower and Fruit Propagation for using rhizomes in this research.

REFERENCES

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