Nitrogen is frequently the limiting mineral nutrient for plant productivity and it is essential to obtain an understanding of how this element is assimilated and its metabolism regulated, in crop plants. The objective of this work was to study nitrogen metabolism in the tropical legume Canavalia ensiformis, a plant species used as a green manure. The nitrate dose provided changed the concentrations of ureides exported via the xylem, whilst the developmental stage alterations demonstrated to influence the form of ureide exported via the xylem. Considering the content of ureides as an indicator of N-fixation status, it could be concluded that N-fixation was affected in the presence of nitrate in C. ensiformis.
Nitrogen metabolism; allantoin; allantoic acid; Canavalia ensiformis; ureides
