Root exudation of organic carbon (C) is generally believed to be the cause of positive effects of root activity on nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions. We tested the effects of root exudation in an actual soil-plant system on N 2 O emissions while excluding most other potential factors. The C source/sink ratio in cucumber was changed by removing fruits to increase root exudation. Root-zone emissions of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and N 2 O were monitored in complete stands of adult plants in a greenhouse.Whereas CO 2 emissions rapidly increased as a result of fruit removal the N 2 O emissions were completely unaffected. After cutting the shoots CO 2 emissions decreased within 2 weeks in both the fruit removal treatment and the control to a value significantly lower than that before the start of the treatments. However, N 2 O emissions immediately exhibited a short peak, which was significantly higher in the fruit removal treatment compared to the control. Thereafter N 2 O emissions in both treatments remained on the same level but considerably higher than before shoot cutting.We concluded that in a well-aerated root zone, a root exudation pulse does not necessarily increase N 2 O emissions, because C substrates are quickly respired by microorganisms before they can support heterotrophic denitrification. The results further indicate the significance of dying/dead roots for the creation of denitrificaton hotspots, which likely result from providing C substrates as well as poorly aerated habitats. K E Y W O R D Sanaerobic microorganisms, Cucumis sativus L., denitrification hot-spots, dry matter, root exudation

Background and AimsMany attempts have been made to avoid the commonly observed fluctuations in fruit initiation and fruit growth in crop plants, particularly in cucumber (Cucumis sativus). Weak sinks of the fruit have been assumed to result in low sink/source ratios for carbohydrates, which may inhibit photosynthesis. This study focuses on the effects of low sink–source ratios on photosynthesis and respiration, and in particular root-zone respiration.MethodsMature fruit-bearing cucumber plants were grown in an aerated nutrient solution. The root containers were designed as open chambers to allow measurement of CO2 gas exchange in the root zone. A similar arrangement in a gas-exchange cuvette enabled simultaneous measurements of CO2 exchange in the shoot and root zones.Key ResultsReducing the sinks for carbohydrates by removing all fruit from the plants always resulted in a doubling of CO2 exchange in the root zone within a few hours. However, respiration of the shoot remained unaffected and photosynthesis was only marginally reduced, if at all.ConclusionsThe results suggest that the increased level of CO2 gas exchange in the root zone after removing the carbon sinks in the shoot is due primarily to the exudation of organic compounds by the roots and their decomposition by micro-organisms. This hypothesis must be tested in further experiments, but if proved correct it would make sense to include carbon leakage by root exudation in cucumber production models. In contrast, inhibition of photosynthesis was measurable only at zero fruit load, a situation that does not occur in cucumber production systems, and models that estimate production can therefore ignore (end-product) inhibition of photosynthesis.