Seasonal protease activity in storage tissue of the deciduous grass Molinia caerulea

Plants of Molinia caerulea were grown in sand culture for two seasons. All nitrogen (N) supplied to the plants was enriched with N-15 throughout the first season, and at natural isotopic abundance throughout the second season. A series of destructive harvests was taken during the second season. At each harvest, the N mobilized from roots and swollen basal internodes and the protease activity (ability to degrade azocasein) of these storage tissues were measured. The pH response curves of protease activity of both basal internodes and roots exhibited optima at pH 5 throughout the season. The protease activity of roots and basal internodes increased in spring, both on a unit fresh weight and unit protein basis, concomitant with mobilization of N from both these tissues to new shoot growth. In absolute terms more N was mobilized from roots than from basal internodes. However, basal internodes which, compared with roots, showed the greatest protease activity (on a f. wt or unit protein basis) were also the tissues that mobilized a greater proportion of N present in the tissue over winter to new shoot material. Individual clones of M. caerulea varied both in the amount of N mobilized from roots and in root protease activity (per plant). Individuals with a higher protease activity mobilized more N compared with individuals of lower protease activity. Therefore in M. caerulea, relationships between N mobilization and protease activity exist at several levels: (1) between different tissues; (2) temporally throughout the season; and (3) between individual clones.