Mineral nutrition of chickpea plants supplied with NO3 or NH4-N

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Abstract
Chickpea plants (Cicer arietinum L cv. ILC 195) were grown for 24 days in water culture with NO3 or NH4‐N, with or without P. The lack of P in the nutrient medium depressed total plant fresh and dry weight yields but did not induce visual symptoms of P deficiency in the shoots despite the low P concentrations found in the plant tissues. For both N‐forms, P stress decreased shoot dry weights. The effect of the stress on the root systems varied with the N‐source. For NO3‐fed plants, roots of stressed plants were longer and slightly greater in weight than those of unstressed plants but for plants supplied with NH4‐N, root weight was depressed by the lack of P. With both forms of N, P stress decreased the shoot:root ratio. For the unstressed plants the forms of N‐nutrition induced typical changes in the nutrient solution but when NO3‐fed plants were deprived of P, the nutrient medium became more acid. The response of the NO3‐fed P‐stressed plants to acidify the nutrient medium was slow. Phosphorus stress decreased the total uptake of all ions. For NO3‐fed plants the uptake of Mg was less affected by the stress and, in contrast to K and Ca, was increased in relation to the depression in growth. P stress depressed the uptake of anions more than cations and NO3‐ uptake was most affected. For NH4‐fed plants, P stress decreased the uptake of anions more than cations. Of the major cations, K and Ca were particularly depressed but Mg was less affected. The uptake of NH4 was slightly enhanced in relation to the reduction in growth, indicating that N was not the limiting factor for plant growth. With both forms of N there was evidence of a greater accumulation of organic anions in the roots and sap of P deficient plants.

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