Division of Plant Physiology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-110012
Nitrate assimilation Capacity was studied in high protein lines such as Atlas (cl. 12561), NapHal (pl. 176217) and Fronteria, (Seeds of these lines were obtained from Johnson's laboratory, Nebraska, U.S.A.) and compared with local cultivars such as Kalyansona. Moti and HD-4502. Enzyme assay was made at ten different stages of growth period, starting from 3-leaf stage to milky stage of grains.
Pattern of nitrate reductase activity observed at different growth stages was mostly similar in all the cultivars but the degree of activity was strikingly different. Enzyme activity was noticed to be very high at most of the stages in all the three high protein lines and Atlas (cl. 12561) was more prominent in this respect. Local cultivars showing lower level of storage proteins in grains also showed low enzyme activity at most of the stages of harvest.
