Influence of nitrogen fertilization on yield and phenolic compounds in wheat grains (Triticum aestivum L. ssp. aestivum)

Abstract

Nitrogen (N) is an important plant nutrient and is crucial for the plant growth and grain yield formation of field crops such as wheat (Triticum aestivum L. ssp. aestivum). However, little is known about the influence of N on secondary metabolites in wheat grains which are supposed to be beneficial for human health due to their antioxidant potentials. Therefore, we investigated the influence of N fertilization on plant growth and yield performance of winter wheat, as well as on total phenolic concentration, antioxidant capacity, and the accumulation of (in)soluble phenolic acids in wheat grains during the grain‐filling phase. It was found that ferulic acid was the predominant phenolic acid in wheat grains. As expected, higher amounts of N fertilizer led to increasing grain yields, whereas the concentration of soluble ferulic acid decreased. In contrast, insoluble bound ferulic acid, total phenolic content, and antioxidant capacity were not affected by the N treatment. Insoluble phenolic compounds seemed to be less susceptible to variations in N supply.

Durum Wheat Grain Yield and Quality under Low and High Nitrogen Conditions: Insights into Natural Variation in Low- and High-Yielding Genotypes

“…When analyzing the variation of polyphenol fractions in response to a rise in the N fertilization dose, hydrolysable polyphenols explain, to a large extent, the augmentation in grain total polyphenols. Our results on soluble polyphenols contrast with those of Stumpf et al [66] and Langenkämper et al [67], who reported that soluble phenolics were higher in grains of unfertilized wheat compared to fertilized plants. The increase in total polyphenols could be ascribed to the sufficient availability of phenylalanine under high N application.…”

“…Ma et al [28] suggested that the antioxidant activity in wheat grain could be increased with an adequate N application. Our data indicate that fertilization had no effect on the anti-radical activity when considering all genotypes as a whole, in agreement with previous reports [66,70]. However, there was a genotype x treatment interaction.…”

“…Engert et al [2] and Ma et al [28] found that total phenolics increased in wheat grains due to N fertilization, while N availability affected negatively total phenolics in tef grains [64] and sesame seeds [65]. Stumpf et al [66] found, on the contrary, that total phenolic concentration was not affected by N treatment in wheat grains. These differences could be explained by the different amounts of N fertilizer and/or the genotype used for the experiments.…”

Influence of Integrated Approach of Azotobacter and Nitrogen Fertilizer on Various Morpho-Physiological and Biochemical Parameters of Brassica Oleracea L. var. capitata

“…The level of phenolic compounds in vegetables is genotype specific though, it is greatly altered by the method and rate of N fertilization. 38…”

Effects of environment, nitrogen, and sulfur on total phenolic content and phenolic acid composition of winter wheat grain

“…However, the results of these studies were inconsistent. For example, Ma et al., (2015) found that increased nitrogen application increased soluble total phenolic content (TPC), while Stumpf et al., (2019) showed that soluble TPC was not significantly affected by increasing N application. Therefore, further studies are necessary to understand the effect of nitrogen on TPC.…”