Effects of changes in applied nitrogen concentrations on nodulation, nitrogen fixation and nitrogen accumulation during the soybean growth period

The specific mechanism by which nitrogen application affects nodulation and nitrogen fixation in legume crops remains uncertain. To further study the effects of nitrogen application on soybean nodulation and nitrogen accumulation, three consecutive tests were performed during the VC-V4, V4-R1 (10 days), and R1-R2 (10 days) growth periods of soybean. In a dual-root soybean system, seedlings on one side were watered with a nutrient solution containing NH4+ or NO3− as the N source (N+ side), and those on the other side were watered with a nitrogen-free nutrient solution (N- side). During the VC-R2 period, on the N+ side, high nitrogen treatment inhibited nodule growth and nitrogenase activity (EC 1.18.6.1), and the inhibition was significantly increased with increasing high nitrogen supply time (10 days, 20 days). When the high nitrogen treatment time reached 20 days, the specific nitrogenase activity (C2H4 μmol−1 g−1 nodule dry mass h−1) was similar to that in the low nitrogen treatment, indicating that the nitrogen fixation capacity per gram of dry mass nodules was almost the same. Therefore, it is assumed that long-term high nitrogen treatment mainly reduces nitrogen fixation by reducing the nodule number. The effect of nitrogen concentration on the roots on the N+ side was greater than that on the N- side. Taken together, these results indicate that nitrogen application affects a contact-dependent local inhibition of root nodule growth, nitrogenase activity, and nitrogen accumulation. The whole plant systematically regulates specific nitrogenase activity, and high nitrogen inhibition is recoverable.