Effect of Nitrification Inhibitors on Photosynthesis and Nitrogen Metabolism in ‘Sweet Sapphire’ (V. vinifera L.) Grape Seedlings

Abstract

Nitrogen loss after urea application and the low nitrogen utilization rate of plants are major issues in fertilizer application. We therefore adopted a combination of urea and 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) applications in order to investigate the response of DMPP in ‘sweet sapphire’ (V. vinifera L.) grape seedlings growth. Three combinations of DMPP and urea were tested to screen suitable DMPP application concentrations for grape seedlings’ growth. Transcriptome differential expression analysis was adopted to elucidate the regulation mechanism of DMPP. The results showed that the application of DMPP with urea significantly increased grape seedlings’ root dry weight, as well as the above-ground dry weight. The application of DMPP with urea significantly improved the total root length, surface area, volume, and root vigor. The application of urea nitrogen content with 1% of DMPP (T2) showed optimum effects. The application of DMPP can also significantly increase the net photosynthetic rate, photosynthetic pigments, and fluorescence intensity of grape leaves. Furthermore, the transcriptome differential expression analysis under T2 treatment revealed that members of the Nar (7) and NRT (12) gene families were up-regulated, which promotes nitrogen uptake and metabolism. Moreover, the LHC (11), Psa (7), Pet (4), and Psb (5) genes were up-regulated, which promotes photosynthesis.