Abstract
THE role of molybdenum in higher plants is generally thought to be closely connected with the assimilation of nitrate nitrogen1,2. Requirements appear to be much reduced with ammonium nitrogen2; but recent work here has shown that presence of ammonium and nitrate together does not eliminate the need. The nature of the system involved in nitrate assimilation and the step activated by molybdenum are still obscure. The suggestion that ascorbic acid may function in plants as an agent for nitrate reduction is not new3, but has been given little consideration. Recently, Virtanen and his associates4,5 have found that seedlings given nitrate nitrogen may be unable to grow if the cotyledons or endosperm are removed unless ascorbic acid or glutathione or other reducing agents are supplied, whereas excised seedlings given ammonium nitrogen continue normal development in the absence of any supplements. These observations were attributed to the in vivo effect of ascorbic acid in the seed reserves on nitrate reduction. No information was available, however, as to the molybdenum status of their cultures. There are also reports which indicate that plants supplied with nitrate contain less ascorbic acid than those grown with ammonium nitrogen6–8. Other nutritional effects so far reported, except possibly that of manganese9, seem to have comparatively little or no consistent influence.
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References
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HEWITT, E., AGARWALA, S. & JONES, E. Effect of Molybdenum Status on the Ascorbic Acid Content of Plants in Sand Culture. Nature 166, 1119–1120 (1950). https://doi.org/10.1038/1661119a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1661119a0
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