THE EFFECT OF NITROGEN SUPPLY ON TRANSPIRATION AND STOMATAL BEHAVIOUR OF BEANS (PHASEOLUS VULGARIS L.) *

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Abstract
Summary: The effect of nitrogen supply on the transpiration rate and stomatal opening of potted bean plants was studied in a series of experiments. The transpiration rates of N‐supplied plants were higher than those of N‐deficient plants when soil moisture was relatively high; as soil moisture approached the wilting range, the transpiration rates of N‐supplied plants dropped to below those of N‐deficient plants. In spite of the marked differences in transpiration rates, as influenced by soil moisture and nitrogen supply, the stomata appeared closed. By coating the upper or lower surfaces of the leaves with a vapour‐impervious compound it was shown that stomatal apertures below the limit of microscopic resolution control the rate of transpiration. Under conditions that encourage stomatal opening (covering the plants with transparent plastic bags), the stomata of the N‐deficient plants opened to a lesser degree than those of N‐supplied plants. There was some evidence that when stomata were visibly open, transpiration rates were regulated by the degree of plant hydration rather than by the degree of stomatal opening. It is concluded that N‐deficient plants fail to open their stomata as widely and to close them as tightly as N‐supplied plants.