Effect of Phosphorus Deficiency on the Metabolic Changes in Free Amino-Acids in Certain Leguminous Crop Plants

Abstract

PHOSPHORUS deficiency in general is known to cause accumulation of soluble nitrogenous compounds, the amino-acids and amides, but reports of the changes in individual amino-acids and amides have been relatively recent and few^1–4. Arginine has been shown to accumulate in Linum¹, asparagine, arginine and glutamine in alfa alfa², isoleucine, glutamine and proline in turnips³. These results suggested that the accumulation of soluble nitrogenous products under phosphorus deficiency might differ according to the genetic behaviour of the plant. Mostly the analyses have been confined to the leaves; changes in the composition of soluble products in stem and roots, under deficiency, have not received attention.