Effect of NH4-non the pigment content ofLaminaria japonica

Experiments withLaminaria japonica were conducted in Meidao Bay and Pier Bay, Qingdao, China, Nitrogen-starved plants were fertilized intermittently with 7.1 mM NH4−N solution for 1 hour at 3 day intervals, after which chlorophyll a, fucoxanthin, chlorophyll c and β-carotene contents were analyzed. Photosynthetic and growth rates of plants and nitrogen content of seawater were determined. their contents of chlorophyll a, fucoxanthin, chlorophyll c and β-carotene were 1.65, 0.67, 0.33 and 0.06 mg.dm−2 respectively, or 2.46, 2.03, 1.86 and 1.81 times those of the controls. The ratio of fucoxanthin to chlorophyll a in nitrogen-enriched plants was lower than that of the controls. Normal growth rate of the plants (2 cm·day−1 in length) were reached when the chlorophyll a content exceeded 0.1 mg·g−1 fresh wt., indicating that chlorophyll a content can serve as an indicator of normal growth.