Nitrate accumulation in plants:: a role for water

Plant nitrate and water contents (g-l dry weight) were monitored (1) in tomato plants in a growth room, during the day/night cycle with varied light intensities; (2) in two lettuce cultivars during the day/night cycle in a growth room and during growth in a glasshouse. Large, concurrent, and linearly correlated changes in nitrate and water contents were observed in both species and time-scales. Although these changes were dependent on light intensity and other environmental conditions, the slope of their relationship was not affected. Furthermore, when a limiting nitrate nutrition regime was applied to tomato, a significant and concurrent reduction of both plant nitrate and water contents was observed. Thus, when compared on the same water content basis, their nitrate content was only slightly reduced. These nitrate and water content changes were also observed in plant parts, and confirmed, through data extracted from the literature, in a large number of species (annuals and perennials) and other environments (open-field, soil culture). They are interpreted as an effect of homoeostasis for endogenous nitrate concentration (mol m(-3)), and it is suggested that nitrate content changes (mol g(-1) dry wt.) result from the varying size of a water reservoir (m(3) g(-1) dry wt.) whose nitrate concentration is regulated. From this viewpoint, the concept of critical nitrate concentration is discussed, and it is proposed to introduce explicitly water content in plant nitrogen models.