Table Of ContentNITROGEN AND CARBON METABOLISM
DEVELOPMENTS IN PLANT AND SOIL SCIENCES
VOLUME 3
Other titles in this series:
Volume 1
Soil-Water and Nitrogen in Mediterranean-type Environments
edited by J. Monteith and C. Webb
ISBN 90-247-2406-6
Volume 2
Nitrogen Losses and Surface Run-off from Landspreading of Manures.
Proceedings of a Workshop in the EEC Programme of Coordination
of Research on Effluents from Livestock, held at The Agricultural
Institute, Johnstown Castle Research Centre, Wexford, Ireland,
May 20-22, 1980
edited by J.C. Brogan
ISBN 90-247-2471-6
In preparation:
Structure and Function of Plant Roots. Proceedings of the
Second International Symposium, held in Bratislava,
Czechoslovakia, September 1-5, 1980
edited by R. Brouwer, O. Gasparikova, J. Kolek and B.C. Loughman
NITROGEN AND
CARBON METABOLISM
Proceedings of a Symposium on the Physiology and
Biochemistry of Plant Productivity, held in Calgary, Canada,
July 14-17, 1980
edited by
J. DEREK BEWLEY
Department of Biology,
University of Calgary.
Alberta, Canada
1981
MARTINUS NIJHOFF / DRW. JUNK PUBLlSHERS
THE HAGUE / BOSTON I LONDON
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for alI other countries
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This volume is listed in the Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
ISBN-13: 978-94-009-8269-7 e-ISBN-13: 978-94-009-8267-3
DOI: 10.1007/978-94-009-8267-3
Copyright @1981 by Martinus Nijhoff / Dr. W. Junk Publishers, The Hague.
Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover Ist edition 1981
Ali rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise, without the prior written permission ofthe publishers,
Martinus Nijhoff / Dr. W. Junk Publishers, P.O.Box 566,2501 CN The Hague, The Netherlands.
v
CONTENTS
Preface VII
Chapter 1.
Profound and Useful Discoveries.
R.G.S. BIDlf\TELL 1
Chapter 2.
Comparison of the Efficiency of Nitrate
and Nitrogen Fixation in Crop Yield.
J. RIGAUD 17
Chapter 3.
Nitrate uptake, Production and Transport
in the Whole Plant.
L.E. SCHRADER and R.J. THOMAS 49
Chapter 4.
Carbon and Nitrogen Partitioning in the
Whole Plant - a Thesis based on Empirical
Modeling.
J.S. PATE and D.B. LAYZELL 94
Chapter 5.
Relationships between Nitrogen Metabolism
and ?hotosynthesis.
J.A. BASSIIAM, P.O. LARSEN, A.L. LA1'NER and
K. L. CORNv.7ELL 135
Chapter 6.
Photosynthate Limitation of Symbiotic N2
Fixation.
K. ANDERSEN, S.T. LIM, H. SPILLER,
K.T. SHANMUGAM and R.C. VALENTINE 164
Chapter 7.
Photorespiration and Nitrogen Metabolism.
D.T. CANVIN 178
Chapter 8.
Seed Storage Proteins: Genetics, Synthesis,
Accumulation and Protein Quality.
B.J. MIFLIN and P.R. SHEWRY 195
VII
PREFACE
This book results from a symposium on the theme of
'The Physiology and Biochemistry of Plant Productivity'
which was held at the University of Calgary from July 14-18,
1980, and was jointly sponsored by the Canadian Society of
Plant Physiologists and the International Association of
Plant Physiologists.
The subject matter of the book deals with various
aspects of nitrogen and carbon metabolism, their
interrelationships and interdependence. The topics covered
in the chapters highlight various interesting and important
lines of research that are in progress. There is no attempt
to provide a comprehensive coverage of the basic
physiological knowledge upon which this research depends -
important references are to be found at the end of each
chapter, however, and the reader will be able to pursue
these as necessary.
An introductory chapter by Dr. R.G.S. Bidwell (winner
of the C.S.P.P. Gold Medal in 1979) considers some
implications of plant physiological research and the aims
and responsibilities of plant physiologists. In the next
two chapters Drs. J. Rigaud and L.E. Schrader (with
R.J. Thomas) elaborate on current research on nitrate
metabolism and nitrogen fixation, and how an understanding
of these phenomena might be usefully applied towards the
manipulation of plants to improve productivity. Dr. J.S.
Pate (with D.R. Layzell) introduces the topic of carbon and
nitrogen interrelationships and develops models for their
partitioning and transport within plants. Continuing this
theme Drs. J.A. Bassham (with P.O. Larsen, A.L. Lawyer and
K.L. Cornwell) and R.C. Valentine (with K. Andersen,
S.T. Lim, H. Spiller, and K.T. Shanmugaml discuss the
convergent pathways of carbon and nitrogen metabolism, the
regulation of carbon flow from photosynthesis into sugars
and amina acids, and how photosynthate production might
limit symbiotic nitrogen fixation, an event whic~ has a
high metabolic energy cost. Photorespiration is also
closely and importantly associated with nitrogen metabolism
VIII
and Dr. D.T. Canvin explains the essential links between
these processes. In the last chapter, Dr. B.J. Miflin
(with P.R. Shewry) details the nature of seed storage
proteins, a vital dietary source of amino acids, their
synthesis and geno~e organization, informat ion which is
necessary to accurately assess the prospects for improving
protein quality.
These chapters are based on papers presented at two
symposia at the CSPP/IAPP conference, and I am grateful to
Drs. R.H. Hageman and L. Beevers for their role as Chairmen
of these sessions. The programme was arranged with the
excellent cooperation of Drs. A. Oaks and F. Wightman, and
the meeting itself relied upon the organizational skills of
Dr. R.P. Pharis. Cooperation by Dr. A. Quispel on behalf
of the IAPP is appreciated. I am very grateful to the
authors for the prompt manner in which they provided me
with their manuscripts, and to Erin Smith of the Biology
Dept., University of Calgary for her secretari al skills and
help in the final preparation of this book.
September 1980 J. Derek Bewley
Professor of Biology
University of Calgary
Calgary T2N lN4
Alberta, Canada
CHAPTER 1
PROFOUND AND USEFUL DISCOVERIES
R.G.S. Bidwell
Wallace RR #1, Nova Scotia, Canada BOK lYO
Introduction
Tank Cultivation of Marine Algae: Background
Gas Exchange in Marine Algae: The Air Suspension System
Seaweed Cultivation: The Transfer of Ideas
Industrial Research: Funding, Operation and Control
References
I.D. Bewley (ed.), Nitrogen and Carbon Metabolism
Copyright@ 1981 Martinus Nijhoff ! Dr W. lunk Publishers, The Hague -Boston -London
Al! rights reserved.
2
The Gold Medal Address was presented at the
meeting by Dr. R. G. S. Bidwell, recipient of
the Canadian Society of Plant Physiologists Gold
Medal (1979) in recognition of his outstanding
published contributions and for his service to
plant physiology and the Canadian Society.
lNTRODUCTlON
The title of this chapter is not intended to refer to my
own work, but is taken from an observation by J. B.
Passioura, C.S.l.R.O., Canberra (11):
Plant physiologists have two responsibilities to
the public whose money supports them. One is to
make profound discoveries. The other is to make
useful ones.
A discussion of the physiology and biochemistry of plant
productivity implies practical application of laboratory
research. There have been a number of notable successes
in the transfer of laboratory research to agricultural
1 l gratefully acknowledge continued research support from
the National Research Council of Canada while l was on the
staff of Queen's University, Kingston, Ont. l am also
deeply grateful to the Director of the N.R.C.C.'s Atlantic
Research Laboratory, Halifax, N.S., for my appointment as
Visiting Scientist during a Sabbatical year in 1976-7, and
as Guest Scientist at intervals since then.
3
technology. But there have been agreat many more
failures. To put the matter in a different perspective,
we have made many Frofound discoveries that are inherently
useless or inaccessible for the development of
agricultural technology. This is not because they are bad
science, or improperly done, or even in remote or
inaccessible fields. It means that while most of us are
more or less adept at making profound discoveries, few of
us are good at making useful ones.
I do not wish to belittle the importance of pure
science. That activity leads, or should lead, to the
profound discoveries that are essential for the
continuation and development of science. Profound
discoveries are able to take care of themselves because
they generate new ideas, new questions, and new research.
There are no dead ends in pure science. But they are not
necessarily useful.
Profound discoveries have another attribute:
important ones are not made very of ten, or by very many
scientists. This leaves the great majority of us with the
sensible option of making useful discoveries. But
considering the large amount of work done and the vast
sums of money that support it, the size of the return in
useful discoveries seems to be remarkably small. This
suggests that perhaps many of us are not familiar with the
techniques of making useful discoveries. It is my purpose
in this paper to describe, as a case history, some
research that was started with the hopeful intention of
making profound discoveries but which, through a process
that was largely serendipitous, began to make useful
discoveries instead, and ultimately lead to a genuine (if
small) break-through in agricultural technology. I refer
to the technology of cost-effective on-shore cultivation
of marine algae. My interest here is not 50 much in the
research itself as in our discovery (hopefully profound)
of how to make useful discoveries.
