JOURNAL OF NANJING FORESTRY UNIVERSITY ›› 2022, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (2): 119-126.doi: 10.12302/j.issn.1000-2006.202104016

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Growth and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics of walnut (Juglans regia) seedling under different nitrogen supply levels

HUANG Xiaohui1,2(), WU Jiaojiao3, WANG Yushu2, FENG Dalan2, SUN Xiangyang1,*()   

  1. 1. Forestry College, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
    2. Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Forest Ecological Protection and Restoration in The Three Gorges Reservoir Area, Chongqing 400036, China
    3. Forestry College, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
  • Received:2021-04-12 Accepted:2021-10-14 Online:2022-03-30 Published:2022-04-08
  • Contact: SUN Xiangyang E-mail:407221681@qq.com;sunxy@bjfu.edu.cn

Abstract:

【Objective】The adaptability of walnut (Juglans regia L.) to nitrogen deficiency and respective adaptive mechanisms were studied.【Method】Different nitrogen deficiency treatments, including a control (CK), moderate nitrogen deficiency (MN), and severe nitrogen deficiency (SN), were used to study the effects of nitrogen deficiency stress on morphological characteristics, growth, and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of walnut seedlings.【Result】Nitrogen deficiency caused walnut seedlings to lose green but a show yellow coloration, and the growth was decreased. Biomass of the above-ground and below-ground parts, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoid content were significantly lower compared to the control, and the decrease was more pronounced with the increasing nitrogen deficiency and over time, especially in the late treatment (60-75 d). The values of Fv/Fm and Fv'/Fm' of walnut seedlings treated subjected to MN and SN treatments were significantly affected at the early (0-30 d) and late stage (60-75 d). The actual photochemical efficiency (ΦPSII), electron transfer rate (ETR), and photochemical quenching coefficient (qP) decreased significantly with the increasing stress, whereas the non-photochemical quenching coefficient (NPQ) increased with the increasing stress, and the effect was more pronounced in the late stage (60-75 d). The aboveground biomass was positively correlated with the belowground biomass, leaf area, root surface area, chlorophyll a content, Fv/Fm, and ETR, whereas the chlorophyll a content was positively correlated with the leaf area, leaf thickness, Fv/Fm, and Fv/Fm'. 【Conclusion】Nitrogen deficiency inhibits absorption and assimilation of nitrogen, hinders the root growth, and affects absorption and utilization of nutrients in walnut seedlings; as a result, the seedlings show dwarfism, weak growth, and smaller leaves with the brighter coloration. Under the nitrogen deficiency stress, the decrease in photosynthetic pigment content in walnuts can also reduce the ability of chloroplasts to absorb light and reduce photosynthetic electron transfer rates and the utilization efficiency of light energy, thereby limiting the photosynthetic rates and plant growth.

Key words: nitrogen deficiency, walnut, morphological characteristics, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters

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