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Soil or foliar application of nitrogen (N) can increase plant growth and salinity tolerance in cotton, but a combination of both methods is seldom studied under salinity stress. A pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of soil application (S), foliar application (F), and a combination of both (S+F) with labeled nitrogen (15N) on cotton growth, N uptake and translocation under salinity stress (ECe = 12.5 dS m−1). Plant biomass, leaf area, leaf chlorophyll (Chl) content, leaf net photosynthetic (Pn) rate, levels of 15N and [Na+] and K+/ Na+ ratio in plant tissues were determined at 3, 7, 14 and 28 days after N application (DAN). Results showed that soil or foliar nitrogen fertilization improved plant biomass, leaf area per plant and leaf photosynthesis, and a combination of soil- plus foliar-applied N was superior to either S or F alone under salinity stress. Although foliar application favored a rapid accumulation of leaf N and soil application a rapid accumulation of root N, S+F enhanced N accu...

The effects of nitrogen (N) forms (ammonium- or nitrate-N) on plant growth under salinity stress [150 mmol sodium chloride (NaCl)] were studied in hydroponically cultured cotton. Net fluxes of sodium (Na+), ammonium (NH4+), and nitrate (NO3−) were also determined using the Non-Invasive Micro-Test Technology. Plant growth was impaired under salinity stress, but nitrate-fed plants were less sensitive to salinity than ammonium-fed plants due mainly to superior root growth by the nitrate-fed plants. The root length, root surface area, root volume, and root viability of seedlings treated with NO3-N were greater than those treated with NH4-N with or without salinity stress. Under salinity stress, the Na+ content of seedlings treated with NO3-N was lower than that in seedlings treated with NH4-N owing to higher root Na+ efflux. A lower net NO3− efflux was observed in roots of nitrate-fed plants relative to the net NH4+ efflux from roots of ammonium-fed plants. This resulted in much more nitrogen accumulation in ...

Two experiments were conducted to determine if improved nutrient uptake increases salinity tolerance of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). A transgenic cotton line (CMO3) with increased salt tolerance and its wild line (SM3) were grown in pots containing substrate (peat:vermiculite = 1:1, v/v) in the first experiment, while cotton (‘SCRC 28’) was cultured in hydroponics with a split-root system in the second experiment. Contents of essential nutrient elements and Na+ in plant tissues, leaf photosynthesis (Pn) and chlorophyll (Chl) concentration and plant biomass were determined after salinity [sodium chloride (NaCl)] treatment in both experiments. In the first experiment, salinity stress with 150 mM NaCl reduced plant biomass and photosynthesis (Pn) of both SM3 and CMO3 compared with their non-stressed controls, but the CMO3 suffered significantly lower reductions than SM3, suggesting an increased salinity tolerance of CMO3 relative to SM3. Total uptake and contents of main nutrient elements [nitrogen (N), p...

A two-year field experiment was conducted to determine the effects of removal of early-fruiting branches (REFB) on yield, quality, and endotoxin expression in transgenic Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Two early-fruiting branches of field-grown cotton plants were removed and retained at squaring to form the REFB and the control treatments, respectively. Lint yield, yield components, fibre quality, and Cry1Ac protein concentration in the first fully expanded young leaves on the main stem were measured. Results show that lint yields were increased by 5.1 and 5.5% with REFB compared with control in 2004 and 2005, respectively. There was no difference in fibre quality in the first two harvests between REFB and control, but fibre strength and micronarie in the third harvest were improved with REFB. Levels of total N, soluble protein, and Cry1Ac protein as well as glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT) activity in leaves were higher in REFB than in the control. Laboratory bioas...