Level of activity of nitrate reductase at the seedling stage as a predictor of grain nitrogen yield in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract

The yield of grain nitrogen of 24 wheat cultivars grown in the field was found to be related to the activity of the enzyme nitrate reductase (EC1.6.6.1) in the first vegetative leaf of 21-day-old plants grown in a controlled environment.

It was concluded that a cultivar's potential for yielding grain nitrogen could be predicted from the activity of nitrate reductase at the seedling stage. This could enable the plant breeder to identify, early in the selection program, lines worth keeping for more advanced testing.

Harvest index for nitrogen varied considerably between cultivars, but was usually largest in cultivars with large yields of grain nitrogen. Improvement in harvest index for nitrogen should go some way towards breaking the inverse relation between grain yield and grain nitrogen percentage in plants grown on a limited supply of soil nitrogen.