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Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol. 55, No. 396, pp. 295-306, February 1, 2004
© 2004 Oxford University Press

Genetics of Plant Mineral Nutrition

An approach to the genetics of nitrogen use efficiency in maize

Received 2 April 2003; Accepted 24 July 2003

A. Gallais1,* and B. Hirel2

1 Station de Génétique Végétale, INRA-UPS-INAPG, Ferme du Moulon, 91190 Gif/Yvette, France
2 Unité de Nutrition Azotée des Plantes, INRA route de St Cyr, 78026 Versailles Cedex, France

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Fax: +33 1 6933 2340. E-mail: Gallais{at}moulon.inra.fr

To study the genetic variability and the genetic basis of nitrogen (N) use efficiency in maize, a set of recombinant inbred lines crossed with a tester was studied at low input (N–) and high input (N+) for grain yield and its components, grain protein content, and post-anthesis nitrogen uptake and remobilization. Other physiological traits, such as nitrate content, nitrate reductase, glutamine synthetase (GS), and glutamate dehydrogenase activities were studied at the level of the lines. Genotypexnitrogen (GxN) interaction was significant for yield and explained by variation in kernel number. In N–, N-uptake, the nitrogen nutrition index, and GS activity in the vegetative stage were positively correlated with grain yield, whereas leaf senescence was negatively correlated. Whatever N-input, post-anthesis N-uptake was highly negatively related to N-remobilization. As a whole, genetic variability was expressed differently in N+ and N–. This was confirmed by the detection of QTLs. More QTLs were detected in N+ than in N– for traits of vegetative development, N-uptake, and grain yield and its components, whereas it was the reverse for grain protein content and N-utilization efficiency. Several coincidences between genes encoding for enzymes of N metabolism and QTLs for the traits studied were observed. In particular, coincidences in three chromosome regions of QTLs for yield and N-remobilization, QTLs for GS activity and a gene encoding cytosolic GS were observed. This may have a physiological meaning. The GS locus on chromosome 5 appears to be a good candidate gene which can, at least partially, explain the variation in nitrogen use efficiency.

Key words: Glutamate dehydrogenase, glutamine synthetase, maize, nitrate content, nitrate reductase, nitrogen uptake, nitrogen use efficiency, remobilization.


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