Nitrogen Nutrition and Nicotine Synthesis in Tobacco

Abstract

Tobacco plants were grown with various forms of nutritive N under light conditions limiting for photosynthesis. Ammonium N, compared with nitrate, increased the relative leaf nicotine content of young plants, but exerted no effect in subsequent stages of growth. Nitrate nutrition caused a slight but uniform decrease in nicotine percentage during the period of most active growth. Plants grown in soil contained a much higher conc. of nicotine in the leaves than did those in sand.