Nitrogen Deficiency in Plants

Abstract

Nitrogen (N) is the next-most-abundant macro-element in plant cells and is pivotal for the growth and development of plants as it is an important constituent of nucleic acids and proteins and also plays role in the synthesis of some vitamins. Further, the application of inorganic N fertilizers and/or nitrogen bio-fertilizers makes huge contributions to crop production and food safety. Being a vital component of chlorophyll synthesis, the deficiency of N can be easily visualized by changes in plant color. However, in plants, nitrogen deficiency can vary in severity, ranging from mild with indistinguishable symptoms to acute with very noticeable changes in appearance. Chlorosis starting from light green to yellow characterizes the visual signs of nitrogen deficiency. Stem tissue is likely to be the most appropriate plant portion to be sampled and analyzed for N status assessment of actively growing annual plants. Symptoms of deficiency are the simplest diagnostic strategies for testing an N fertilization program. There are various reports that suggest that deficiency of nitrogen influences plant growth, carbon fixation, leaf gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, thylakoid membrane organization, functions of enzyme RUBP, carbohydrate levels, metabolites, and respiratory enzymes of seedlings, etc. However, the low effectiveness of plants for the use of nitrogen and excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers causes ever-growing environmental concerns.

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