Nitrogen fixation of nodulation mutants of soybean as affected by nitrate

It was previously reported that three soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) nodulation mutants (NOD1-3, NOD2-4, and NOD3-7) were partially tolerant to nitrate when nitrate was supplied simultaneously with inoculation at the time of transplanting. The current study evaluated the effect of short-term nitrate treatment on nitrogenase activity (C(2)H(2) reduction per plant and per nodule weight) and on relative abundance of ureides when nitrate application was delayed until plants were 3 weeks old and nodules were fully developed. Nitrogenase activity of the mutants was similar to that of Williams after an initial 3-week growth period, prior to nitrate treatment. Application of 5 millimolar nitrate resulted in greater inhibition of nitrogenase activity in Williams than in the three mutants. NOD1-3 was most tolerant of nitrate among the mutants tested and showed the highest relative abundance of ureides. Although C(2)H(2) reduction activity per plant for NOD1-3 was higher than for Williams in the presence of nitrate, C(2)H(2) reduction activity per gram of nodules was lower for NOD1-3 than for Williams in the presence and absence of nitrate. Compared to Williams, NOD1-3 had higher nodule ureide concentration and had similar glutamine synthetase activity in nodule tissue, indicating its nodules have normal nitrogen assimilation pathways. Nitrate application resulted in ureide accumulation in nodule tissue as well as in all plant parts assayed. Unexpectedly, nitrate treatment also increased the rate of ureide degradative capacity of leaves in both NOD1-3 and Williams. The data confirmed that nitrogenase activity of the selected nodulation mutants was more, but still only partially, tolerant of nitrate compared with the Williams parent.