Growth-Promoting Effect of NO Fumigation and Hemoglobins
Nitrogen oxide (NOx) is naturally present in the atmosphere as part of the Earth’s nitrogen cycle and has a variety of natural sources. NOx gases are formed whenever combustion occurs in the presence of nitrogen—as in an air-breathing engine; they also ar
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Growth-Promoting Effect of NO Fumigation and Hemoglobins Christian Lindermayr and Kim Henrik Hebelstrup
Abstract Nitrogen oxide (NOx) is naturally present in the atmosphere as part of the Earth’s nitrogen cycle and has a variety of natural sources. NOx gases are formed whenever combustion occurs in the presence of nitrogen—as in an air-breathing engine; they also are produced naturally by lightning. However, also human activities such as agriculture, fossil fuel combustion, wastewater management, and industrial processes are increasing the amount of NOx in the atmosphere resulting in significant air pollution. But nitrogen is also an essential nutrient required for plant growth and development. Nitrogen can be taken up by plants through ammonium and nitrate or as nitrogen gas through plant-associated microorganisms in root nodules. Interestingly, a plant growth-promoting effect is also described for NO and NO2. In this chapter we want to highlight the positive effect of NO and NO2 on plant growth and development and on postharvest effects on fruits and flowers. Moreover, the NO-scavenging function of phytoglobins is discussed in this context.
1 Introduction The most important functional forms of nitrogen in plants are nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, and gaseous nitric oxides (NO, NO2). NO and NO2 consist of one nitrogen and one or two oxygen atoms, respectively, implying a direct interaction of nitric oxides (NOx) and the N metabolism. Nitrogen is an essential component of plant growth and reproduction and plays a vital role in the development of healthy foliage. It is required for synthesis of many different macromolecules such as proteins, DNA/RNA, and chlorophyll. This element is listed on the second position
C. Lindermayr (*) Helmholtz Zentrum M€ unchen – German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Biochemical Plant Pathology, Ingolsta¨dter Landstrasse 1, 85764 M€ unchen-Neuherberg, Germany e-mail: [email protected] K.H. Hebelstrup Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Forsøgsvej 1, 4200 Slagelse, Denmark © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 L. Lamattina, C. Garcı´a-Mata (eds.), Gasotransmitters in Plants, Signaling and Communication in Plants, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-40713-5_7
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of the most important factors that can result in high-yielding crop plants (http:// www.7wondersofcorn.com/). Nitrogen is required for biosynthesis of chlorophyll and it is also the basic element of proteins and genetic material, such as DNA and RNA. However, among all essential nutrients, nitrogen is often the one that limits plant growth (Hopkins 1995; Vitousek and Howarth 1991; Weisler et al. 2001; Agren et al. 2012; Reich et al. 2006). Therefore, especially farmers have to take care for optimal nitrogen supply of their plants to guarantee optimal growth and development. Nitrogen can be taken up by plants in different ways. One possibility is through ammonium and nitrate, which are the predominant inorganic forms of
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