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The effect of take-all root lesions on nitrate uptake of wheat was investigated in two experiments under controlled conditions. Plants were supplied with a nutrient solution labelled with 15 N during stem elongation and flowering to assess the distribution of the isotopic tracer in the different plant organs, and particularly in root segments located on both sides of take-all lesions. The 15 N atom percentage excess measured in root segments located below lesions longer than 1 cm was reduced on average by half compared with that in healthy roots and root segments above lesions, reflecting a reduction in nitrogen uptake by these root segments. This reduction probably resulted from the invasion and breakdown of phloem vessels by the fungus hyphae, interrupting energy supply and thus the uptake process. Severely infected plants showed an increase in the uptake rate per unit of efficient root, which appeared to be a compensatory response to reduction of efficient root biomass in order to satisfy shoot nitrogen demand. However, this compensatory response was insufficient to ensure nitrogen accumulation equivalent to that of healthy plants, as reductions in nitrogen accumulated in roots and aerial parts at flowering were up to 56 and 49%, respectively, for plants with more than 50% of the root system below lesions longer than 1 cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today farmers have several constraints to take into account in managing their crops: (i) competitiveness: productivity must be maintained or increased whereas inputs must be decreased, (ii) the environmental consequences of cultural practices: pesticide and fertilizer use must be decreased, and (iii) product quality must be improved and nitrogen nutrition is an important factor in harvest quality. These new constraints sometimes conflict: maximum yield is often obtained with large amounts of N, increasing the risks of N leaching. The determination of rates and dates for nitrogen application must become more precise in this context. Tools are required for the forecasting of crop requirements, the diagnosis of N deficiencies during the crop cycle and breeding of new adapted varieties. Models and diagnosis indicators have been developed to meet these needs, but those relating to nitrogen are often based on empirical relationships. Moreover, the available models and indicators often fail to account for cultivar‐specific responses. The improvement of agronomic tools and the breeding of new varieties adapted to new cropping systems should be based on a thorough understanding of the key metabolic processes involved, and the relative contributions of these processes to yield determination in conditions of fluctuating N supply. For both purposes, more information is required about plant and crop N economy. In this paper, the way in which N absorption and use within the plant and crop, plant responses to deficiencies and excesses of nitrogen are taken into account in major agronomic models is described first. The level of sophistication of the modules comprising these models depends on operational objectives. Secondly, the ways in which the most recent molecular plant physiology findings can, and indeed should, be integrated into models at the crop and crop cycle levels are described. The potential value of this approach for improving current agronomic models and diagnostic tools, and for breeding more efficient varieties is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The nitrogen (N) requirement of dedicated crops for bioenergy production is a particularly significant issue, since N fertilisers are energy-intensive to make and have environmental impacts on the local level (NO3 leaching) and global level (N2O gas emissions). Nitrogen nutrition of Miscanthus × giganteus aboveground organs is assumed to be dependent on N stocks in belowground organs, but the precise quantities involved are unknown. A kinetic study was carried out on the effect of harvest date (early harvest in October or late harvest in February) and nitrogen fertilisation (0 or 120kgNha−1) on aboveground and belowground biomass production and N accumulation in established crops. Apparent N fluxes within the crop and their variability were also studied. Aboveground biomass varied between 24 and 28tDMha−1 in early harvest treatments, and between 19 and 21tDMha−1 in late harvest treatments. Nitrogen fertilisation had no effect on crop yield in late harvest treatments, but enhanced crop yield in early harvest treatments due to lower belowground biomass nitrogen content. Spring remobilisation, i.e. nitrogen flux from belowground to aboveground biomass, varied between 36 and 175kgNha−1, due to the variability of initial belowground nitrogen stocks in the different treatments. Autumn remobilisation, i.e. nitrogen flux from aboveground to belowground organs, varied between 107 and 145kgNha−1 in late harvest treatments, and between 39 and 93kgNha−1 in early harvest treatments. Autumn remobilisation for a given harvest date was linked to aboveground nitrogen accumulation in the different treatments. Nitrogen accumulation in aboveground biomass was shown to be dependent firstly on initial belowground biomass nitrogen stocks and secondly on nitrogen uptake by the whole crop. The study demonstrated the key role of belowground nitrogen stocks on aboveground biomass nitrogen requirements. Early harvest depletes belowground nitrogen stocks and thus increases the need for nitrogen fertiliser. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]