Spring Mobilization of Storage Nitrogen in Isolated Shoot Section of Apple

The process of mobilization of nitrogenous compounds in trees during spring development was studied in short isolated shoot sections (usually bearing one bud each) of Golden Delicious apple trees. During leafing‐out of the bud, changes in the amounts of total, protein and soluble nitrogen and of soluble amino acids and amides in bark and wood were followed. The nitrogen required by the growing parts came mainly from protein breakdown in the tissues below the bud; in the tissues above the bud, total nitrogen decreased little, whereas the drop in protein nitrogen was considerable. In de‐budded sections and in internode sections where total nitrogen remained almost unchanged, protein hydrolysis occurred as well. It is concluded that the protein breakdown is not strongly dependent on the demand of the bud for nitrogen. Inversion of the sections did not result in any change in the pattern of nitrogen mobilization: a marked drop occurred in the nitrogen content of the physiologically basal part of the section and only a slight decrease in the apical part. The translocation of stored nitrogenous compounds to the growing parts seems to occur in the phloem, at least over short distances. Asparagine and arginine were found to be the major components of the soluble amino‐nitrogen fraction throughout. The relative importance of asparagine was reduced in tissue where a substantial loss of nitrogen occurred during leafing‐out of the bud. This is explained in terms of a preferential export of asparagine to the bud.