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Decreased ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase in transgenic tobacco transformed with “antisense” rbcS

V. Relationship between photosynthetic rate, storage strategy, biomass allocation and vegetative plant growth at three different nitrogen supplies

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Abstract

Wild-type tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) plants and transgenic tobacco transformed with antisense rbcS to decrease expression of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (Rubisco; EC 4.1.1.39) were grown at 300 mol-m−2 · s−1 irradiance and 20° C at either 0.1, 0.7 or 5 mM NH4NO3. In high nitrogen (N), growth was reduced in parallel with the inhibition of photosynthesis when Rubisco was decreased by genetic manipulation. In limiting N, photosynthesis was reduced strongly when Rubisco was decreased by genetic manipulation, but growth was hardly affected. At all N levels, decreased expression of Rubisco led to a decrease in the amount of starch accumulated in the leaves. There was a large increase of the specific leaf area (SLA; leaf area maintained per unit dry weight in the leaf) in plants with decreased Rubisco. Increased SLA was associated with an increased inorganic and a decreased carbon contribution to leaf structural dry weight. The increased SLA represents a more efficient investment of photosynthate with respect to maximisation of leaf area and light interception, and partly compensates for the decreased rate of photosynthesis in plants with decreased expression of Rubisco. The changes of starch content and SLA were particularly large in limiting N, when growth rate was effectively independent of the rate of photosynthesis. Increased N availability led to a large increase of the shoot/ root ratio, but only a small increase in SLA. It is argued that N availability and the availability of photosynthate both regulate storage and allocation of biomass to optimize resource utilization, but achieve this via different mechanisms.

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Abbreviations

DW:

dry weight

N:

nitrogen

rbcS:

nuclear-encoded gene for the small subunit of Rubisco

RGR:

relative growth rate, equivalent to the daily increase in biomass per biomass already present in the plant (g DW·g−1 DW·d−1)

Rubisco:

ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase

SLA:

specific leaf area (leaf area maintained per DW of the leaf)

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Author notes

  1. K. Fichtner

    Present address: Lehrstuhl für Pflanzenphysiologie, Universität Bayreuth, Postfach 101251, W-8580, Bayreuth, FRG

  2. W. P. Quick

    Present address: Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, SIO 2TN, Sheffield, UK

  3. S. R. Rodermel

    Present address: Botany Department, University of Iowa, 50011, Ames, Iowa, USA

  4. M. Stitt

    Present address: Botanisches Institut, Im Neuenheimer Feld 360, W-6900, Heidelberg, FRG

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lehrstuhl für Pflanzenökologie, Universität Bayreuth, Postfach 101251, W-8580, Bayreuth, FRG

    K. Fichtner & E.-D. Schulze

  2. Lehrstuhl für Pflanzenphysiologie, Universität Bayreuth, Postfach 101251, W-8580, Bayreuth, FRG

    W. P. Quick & M. Stitt

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, 94305, Stanford, CA, USA

    H. A. Mooney

  4. The Biological Laboratories, Harvard University, 02138, Cambridge, MA, USA

    S. R. Rodermel & L. Bogorad

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  1. K. Fichtner
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Additional information

This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB 137). We thank Dr. G. Gebauer for the assistance with the nitrate determination and Dr. P. Schramel for the analysis of the macronutrients.

Note: Quick et al. (1991b) is paper III in this series on “Decreased ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase in transgenic tobacco”.

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Fichtner, K., Quick, W.P., Schulze, ED. et al. Decreased ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase in transgenic tobacco transformed with “antisense” rbcS. Planta 190, 1–9 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00195668

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00195668

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