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Background Nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) are two important mineral nutrients in regulating leaf photosynthesis. Studying the interactive effects of N and K on regulating N allocation and photosynthesis (P n ) of rice leaves will be of great significance for further increasing leaf P n , photosynthetic N use efficiency (PNUE) and grain yield. We measured the gas exchange of rice leaves in a field experiment and tested different kinds of leaf N based on N morphology and function, and calculated the interactive effects of N and K on N allocation and the PNUE. Results Compared with N0 (0 kg N ha − 1 ) and K0 (0 kg K 2 O ha − 1 ) treatments, the P n was increased by 17.1 and 12.2% with the supply of N and K. Compared with N0K0 (0 kg N and 0 kg K 2 O ha − 1 ), N0K120 (0 kg N and 120 kg K 2 O ha − 1 ) and N0K180 (0 kg N and 180 kg K 2 O ha − 1 ), N supply increased the absolute content of photosynthetic N (N psn ) by 15.1, 15.5 and 10.5% on average, and the storage N (N store ) was increased by 32.7, 64.9 and 72.7% on average. The relative content of N psn was decreased by 5.6, 12.1 and 14.5%, while that of N store was increased by 8.7, 27.8 and 33.8%. Supply of K promoted the transformation of N store to N psn despite the leaf N content (N a ) was indeed decreased. Compared with N0K0, N180K0 (180 kg N and 0 kg K 2 O ha − 1 ) and N270K0 (270 kg N and 0 kg K 2 O ha − 1 ), K supply increased the relative content of N psn by 17.7, 8.8 and 7.3%, and decreased the relative content of N store by 24.2, 11.4 and 8.7% respectively. Conclusions This study indicated the mechanism that K supply decreased the N a but increased the N psn content and then increased leaf P n and PNUE from a new viewpoint of leaf N allocation. The supply of K promoted the transformation of N store to N psn and increased the PNUE. The decreased N store mainly resulted from the decrease of non-protein N. Combined use of N and K could optimize leaf N allocation and maintain a high leaf N psn content and PNUE. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12870-019-1894-8) ...

The inhibition of the net CO assimilation ( A) during photosynthesis is one of the major physiological effects of both nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) deficiencies on rice growth. Whether the reduction in A arises from a limitation in either the diffusion and biochemical fixation of CO or photochemical energy conversion is still debated in relation to N and K deficiencies. In this study, the gas exchange parameters of rice under different N and K levels were evaluated and limitations within the photosynthetic carbon capture process were quantified. A was increased by 17.3 and 12.1% for the supply of N and K, respectively. The suitable N/K ratio should be maintained from 1.42 to 1.50. The limitation results indicated that A is primarily limited by the biochemical process. The stomatal conductance ( L), mesophyll conductance ( L), and biochemical ( L) limitations were regulated by 26.6-79.9, 24.4-54.1, and 44.1-75.2%, respectively, with the N and K supply.

Evaluation of nitrogen (N) status by leaf color is a kind of classic nutritional diagnostic method. However, the color of leaves is influenced not only by N, but also by other nutrients such as potassium (K). Two-year field trials with a factorial combination of N and K were conducted to investigate the effects of different N and K rates on soil plant analysis development (SPAD) readings and leaf N, K, magnesium (Mg), and chlorophyll concentrations. Visual inspections in leaf greenness revealed darker green leaves with increasing N rates, while paler green leaves with increasing K rates. Data showed that SPAD readings, chlorophyll, N and Mg concentrations, and the chloroplast area increased significantly with raising N rates, while declined sharply with the increase in K rates due to the antagonistic relationships between K + and NH 4 + as well as Mg 2+. It was also probable that the increase in K promoted the growth of leaves and diluted their N and Mg concentrations. The paler leaf appearance resulting from the application of K may overestimate the actual demand for N in the diagnosis of rice N status. The strong antagonistic relationships between K + , NH 4 + , and Mg 2+ should be considered in rice production and fertilization.

Plants in nutrient-poor habitats converge towards lower rates of leaf net CO2 assimilation (Aarea); however, they display variability in leaf mass investment per area (LMA). How a plant optimises its leaf internal carbon investment may have knock-on effects on structural traits and, in turn, affect leaf carbon fixation. Quantitative models were applied to evaluate the structural causes of variations in LMA and their relevance to Aarea in rapeseed (Brassica napus) based on their responses to nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and boron (B) deficiencies. Leaf carbon fixation decreased in response to nutrient deficiency, but the photosynthetic limitations varied greatly depending on deficient nutrient. In comparison with Aarea, the LMA exhibited diverse responses, being increased under P or B deficiency, decreased under K deficiency, and unaffected under N deficiency. These variations were due to changes in cell and tissue-level carbon investments between cell dry mass density (N or K deficiency) and cellular anatomy, including cell dimension and number (P deficiency), or both (B deficiency). However, there was a conserved pattern independent of nutrient-specific limitations—low nutrient availability reduced leaf carbon fixation but increased carbon investment in non-photosynthetic structures, resulting in larger but fewer mesophyll cells with a thicker cell wall but a lower chloroplast surface area appressed to the intercellular airspace, which reduced the mesophyll conductance and feedback-limited Aarea. Our results provide insight into the importance of mineral nutrients in balancing leaf carbon economy by coordinating leaf carbon assimilation and internal distributions.