[Effects of different applied nitrogen forms on pakchoi (Brassica chinensis) growth and its carbon and nitrogen...

A hydroponic experiment was conducted to study the effects of different applied nitrogen forms, i.e., ammonium, nitrate, glycine, glutamine, alanine, bovine serum albumin (BSA), mixture of glycine and nitrate, and mixture of BSA and nitrate, on the growth and carbon and nitrogen accumulation of pakchoi (Brassica chinensis). The significant differences were observed in the B. chinensis dry mass, fresh mass, carbon and nitrogen accumulation, and soluble protein, soluble sugar, and free amino acid contents among different treatments. In treatment nitrate, the fresh mass and dry mass of B. chinensis shoot and root were the highest; in treatment glycine, the root growth and the carbon and nitrogen accumulation of B. chinensis were promoted obviously; among the treatments glycine, glutamine, and alanine, treatment glutamine was more beneficial to the shoot growth and nitrogen accumulation. The nutritional effect of the applied nitrogen forms was in the order of nitrate, glutamine > mixture of glycine and nitrate, mixture of BSA and nitrate, glycine, ammonium > alanine, BSA, zero nitrogen. It was suggested that organic nitrogen could be used as a source of nitrogen nutrition for B. chinensis growth, and different nitrogen forms could have different physiological effects onthe B. chinensis plants.