NorthwestErn University of Agriculture, Forgrust science and technology found that poplars grow "nitrogen" thinking

poplar tree has strong adaptability and outstanding fast-growing characteristics, which is the largest and most widely distributed ecological greening and industrial material tree species in China, and is also an important tree species for the restoration of heavy metal polluted plants. A team led by Zhang Yi, a young teacher at Northwestern University of Agriculture, Forgrust science and Technology, found that increasing nitrogen nutrition plays an important role in poplars' tolerance to drought and heavy metal stress. The results were published in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.
Zhang a research team found that compared with low nitrogen, moderate nitrogen addition promotes the growth of poplar roots, increases the frequency of lilac catheters, enhances the adaptive development of the woody part under drought, thereby improving the hydrodynamic safety under drought; Some key genes are activated after the appropriate amount of nitrogen supply, including hormone signal transducting components, antioxidant enzyme biosynthetic genes, etc.
the study showed that the secondary growth of poplar tree mass was severely inhibited under the dual pressure of cadmium pollution and low nitrogen, and its inhibition was partially alleviated under the full supply of nitrogen. In the full supply of nitrogen, the biological abunding coefficient of stem cadmium reached 3.07 and 0.91 respectively under moderate and severe cadmium pollution, and the accumulation of stem-dry cadmium reached 164 micrograms per plant under heavy cadmium pollution. Adequate nitrogen supply increases hormone and antioxidant levels in poplar stems, enhances antioxidant defense, and promotes stem secondary growth and woody growth. Together, these two factors increase the biological richness of poplar stems on cadmium and promote the biological restoration of poplars to heavy metal contaminated soil.
also found that nitrogen significantly changed the cadmium accumulation characteristics and resistance adaptation strategies of poplar leaves. In full nitrogen supply, with the increase of cadmium pollution time and intensity, the concentration coefficient and accumulation of leaves on cadmium increased, and the chlorocerotein concentration and net photolyzing rate in this process did not decrease significantly, indicating that the blades maintained a strong cadmium tolerance, which stems from the higher levels of endogenous hormones, enzyme antioxidants and non-enzyme antioxidant content, as well as the upward expression of several antioxidant enzyme synthesis genes. (Source: China Science Journal Yan Jun)
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