In white clover (Trifolium repens L. cv. Regal) the kinetics of de novo synthesis of amino acid and protein were compared by tracing ¹⁵N under well-watered (control) or water-deficit conditions. The physiological relationship between ammonia concentration, in response to the change in leaf water parameters, and de novo synthesis of amino acid and protein was also assessed. Leaf and root dry mass were not significantly affected for the first 3 d, whereas metabolic parameters such as total N and ammonia were significantly affected within the first day of water-deficit treatment. Inhibitory effect of water deficit on N acquisition from the soil was significant throughout the experimental period. Water deficit induced a significant increase in ammonia concentration in leaves during the first 3 d, and in roots for only the first day. In both leaves and roots, an increase in de novo amino acid synthesis, which peaked in leaves within the first 3 d of water-deficit treatment (Ψ_w ≥ –1.18 MPa), was observed. The rate of decrease in de novo protein synthesis gradually accelerated as the duration of the water-deficit treatment increased. There was a significant positive relationship between ammonia production and the increase in de novo amino acid synthesis during the first 3-d period, but not during the later period (day 3–day 7). This experiment clearly indicates that the increase in de novo amino acid synthesis caused by water deficit is a transient adaptive response occurring during the first few days and that it is associated with the increased ammonia concentrations, which in turn arise in response to a decrease in de novo protein synthesis.