Photosynthetica 2022, 60(3):420-429 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2022.034

The effects of nitrogen application on the growth, photosynthesis, and antioxidant activity of Amaranthus viridis

C.-C. CHEN1, M.-Y. HUANG2, K.-H. LIN3, M.-T. HSUEH4
1 National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine, 11221 Taipei, Taiwan
2 Department of Life Sciences, Innovation and Development Center of Sustainable Agriculture, National Chung Hsing University, 40227 Taichung, Taiwan
3 Department of Horticulture and Biotechnology, Chinese Culture University, 11114 Taipei, Taiwan
4 Taitung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, 950244 Taitung, Taiwan

Amaranthus viridis is a functional food due to its antioxidant activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the responses of photosynthesis, growth, and antioxidant properties in A. viridis to nitrogen (N) applications. A. viridis plants were cultivated under low N (LN), medium N (MN), and high N (HN), and harvested at the reproductive phase. The dry mass and plant height of A. viridis plants increased with elevated N, and the dry mass of HN was saturated. Net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and water-use efficiency in the leaves at HN were strengthened. Meanwhile, under HN, chlorophylls (Chl), their precursors, and degradation intermediates in the leaves were highly accumulated, and the minor route of Chl degradation pathway was induced dramatically. However, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging, ferrous iron-chelating, and reducing power in the extracts were reduced under HN. Conclusively, an appropriate N application balanced the yield and antioxidant properties of A. viridis.

Additional key words: antioxidant activity; chlorophyll biosynthesis; chlorophyll degradation; dry mass; nitrogen fertilization; photosynthesis.

Received: February 8, 2022; Revised: June 12, 2022; Accepted: July 13, 2022; Prepublished online: August 16, 2022; Published: September 8, 2022  Show citation

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CHEN, C.-C., HUANG, M.-Y., LIN, K.-H., & HSUEH, M.-T. (2022). The effects of nitrogen application on the growth, photosynthesis, and antioxidant activity of Amaranthus viridis. Photosynthetica, 60(3), 420-429. doi: 10.32615/ps.2022.034
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