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. 2020 Sep 16:8:e9938.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.9938. eCollection 2020.

Nitrogen form plays an important role in the growth of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) seedlings

Na Zou  1   2 , Ling Huang  1   2 , Huijing Chen  1   2 , Xiaofeng Huang  1   2 , Qingni Song  1   2 , Qingpei Yang  1   2 , Tianchi Wang  3
Affiliations

Nitrogen form plays an important role in the growth of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) seedlings

Na Zou et al. PeerJ. .

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to gain an understanding of the growth response of Phyllostachys edulis (moso bamboo) seedlings to nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) to benefit nutrient management practices and the design of proper fertilizer in nursery cultivation.

Methods: An orthogonal array L8(4×24) was used to study the effects of N forms (NH4 +, NO3 -), N concentrations (8, 32 mmol/L), and K+concentrations (0, 0.5, 1.5, 3 mmol/L) on seedling height, leaf number, chlorophyll content (SPAD value), biomass, root systems, and N content of P. edulis seedlings. Plants were grown in vermiculite under controlled greenhouse conditions.

Results: Our study showed that N form played a significant role in the overall performance of P. edulis seedlings, followed by the effect of N and K+ concentrations. Among the N forms, NH4 + significantly improved the growth of P. edulis seedlings compared with NO3 -. Seedling height, leaf number, chlorophyll SPAD value, biomass, and root system architecture (root length, root surface area, root volume, and root tips) were greater with 8 mmol/L of NH4 + treatments than with 32 mmol/L of NH4 +treatments, whereas root diameter and N content of P. edulis seedlings were higher with 32 mmol/L of NH4 + than with 8 mmol/L of NH4 +. K displayed inconsistent effects on the growth of P. edulis seedlings. Specifically, seedling height, leaf number, biomass and root volume increased when the K+ concentration was increased from 0 to 0.5 mmol/L, followed by a decrease when the K+ concentration was further increased from 0.5 to 3 mmol/L. Root average diameter of the seedlings was the highest with a K+ concentration of 1.5 mmol/L, and K had some inhibitory effects on the chlorophyll SPAD value of the seedlings. P. edulis seedlings performed well with 8 mmol/L NH4 +and further tolerated a higher concentration of both NH4 + and NO3 -, although excessive N could inhibit seedling growth. A lower concertation of K (≤ 0.5 mmol/L) promoted seedling growth and increasing K+ concentration in the nutrient solution did not alleviate the inhibitory effect of high N on the growth of P. edulis seedlings. Therefore, NH4 +nitrogen as the main form of N fertilizer, together with a low concertation of K+, should be supplied in the cultivation and nutrient management practices of moso bamboo.

Keywords: Ammonium; Growth response; Nitrate; Nitrogen concentration; Nitrogen form; Phyllostachys edulis; Potassium.

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Conflict of interest statement

Tianchi Wang is employed by The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, Auckland, New Zealand. The authors declare there are no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Effects of N and K on aboveground growth of moso bamboo seedlings.
A to D indicates the variation tendency of seedling height (A), biomass (B), leaf number (C) and SPAD value (D) respectively to different K concentrations, N form and N concentrations.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Effects of N and K on root system architecture of moso bamboo seedlings.
A to E indicates root system architecture of root total length (A), root surface area (B), root volume (C), average diameter (D) and root tips (E) to different K concentrations, N form and N concentrations.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Effects of N and K on N content of moso bamboo seedlings.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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