Translating Basic Research on Biological Nitrogen Fixation to Improved Crop Production in Less-Developed Countries — A User’s View

1980 ◽  
pp. 137-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. F. Hardy
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Biological Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Less Developed Countries ◽  
Biological Nitrogen

scholarly journals Molecular Biology in the Improvement of Biological Nitrogen Fixation by Rhizobia and Extending the Scope to Cereals

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 125
Author(s):  
Ravinder K. Goyal ◽  
Maria Augusta Schmidt ◽  
Michael F. Hynes
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Molecular Biology ◽  
Biological Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Recombinant Dna ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Recombinant Dna Technology ◽  
Total N ◽  
Symbiotic Associations ◽  
Biological Nitrogen

The contribution of biological nitrogen fixation to the total N requirement of food and feed crops diminished in importance with the advent of synthetic N fertilizers, which fueled the “green revolution”. Despite being environmentally unfriendly, the synthetic versions gained prominence primarily due to their low cost, and the fact that most important staple crops never evolved symbiotic associations with bacteria. In the recent past, advances in our knowledge of symbiosis and nitrogen fixation and the development and application of recombinant DNA technology have created opportunities that could help increase the share of symbiotically-driven nitrogen in global consumption. With the availability of molecular biology tools, rapid improvements in symbiotic characteristics of rhizobial strains became possible. Further, the technology allowed probing the possibility of establishing a symbiotic dialogue between rhizobia and cereals. Because the evolutionary process did not forge a symbiotic relationship with the latter, the potential of molecular manipulations has been tested to incorporate a functional mechanism of nitrogen reduction independent of microbes. In this review, we discuss various strategies applied to improve rhizobial strains for higher nitrogen fixation efficiency, more competitiveness and enhanced fitness under unfavorable environments. The challenges and progress made towards nitrogen self-sufficiency of cereals are also reviewed. An approach to integrate the genetically modified elite rhizobia strains in crop production systems is highlighted.

scholarly journals Role of Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) in Sustainable Agriculture: A Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rittwika Mukherjee ◽  
Supatra Sen
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Biological Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
Agricultural System ◽  
Biological Nitrogen

Agriculture has an enormous environmental footprint. One of the best ways to mitigate climate change is to create balanced food systems based on sustainable agriculture. To reduce the chemical dependence scientists are engineering crop plants for N 2 fixation and they are focused on the biological process BNF (Biological Nitrogen Fixation) for the needs of N2 for crop plant soils. N2 fixed by the BNF process reduces the production cost, Green House gas (GHG) emissions, pollution of surface and ground water. Several management practices are there which influence BNF process in agricultural system. They are N- fertilization species genotype and cultivar and seeding ratios. Better management practices can help to improve N2 fixation. This review highlights the agro-economic importance of BNF and shows it as a cost effective, non- polluting way to improve the soil fertility and crop production.

scholarly journals Frequency of field pea in rotations impacts biological nitrogen fixation

2012 ◽  
Vol 92 (6) ◽  
pp. 1005-1011 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Knight
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Biological Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Crop Residues ◽  
Field Pea ◽  
Continuous Cropping ◽  
Available N ◽  
Lower Productivity ◽  
Soil Inorganic N ◽  
Biological Nitrogen

Knight, J. D. 2012. Frequency of field pea in rotations impacts biological nitrogen fixation. Can. J. Plant Sci. 92: 1005–1011. Economic, environmental and energy concerns about the use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers in crop production have prompted the examination of increasing the frequency of pulses in crop rotations to capitalize on biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). Plots from a field experiment established in 1998 at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Farm at Scott, SK, were sampled in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Rotations that included pea every year (continuous pea), every second year (pea-wheat), every third year (pea-canola-wheat) and every fourth year (canola-wheat-pea-wheat) were evaluated for BNF using the enriched15N isotope dilution technique. Nitrogen from BNF in the seed and straw, total above-ground N, seed and straw yield and soil available N and P were evaluated. In 2 of 3 yr, the highest BNF occurred in the two most diverse rotations. Continuous cropping of pea resulted in drastically low BNF in 2008 and 2009. Nitrogen derived from atmosphere in the continuous pea was 15% compared with an average of approximately 55% across all other rotations in these 2 yr. The reduction in BNF was not due to lower productivity in the continuous pea rotation, nor from higher initial soil inorganic N levels inhibiting BNF. In the third year of the study (2010), the more than double the normal precipitation received during the growing season stimulated BNF in pea in the continuous pea rotation. Determining whether the rotation effects on BNF are due to N mineralization of the previous years’ crop residues requires further investigation.

scholarly journals Exploiting Biological Nitrogen Fixation: A Route Towards a Sustainable Agriculture

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1011
Author(s):  
Abdoulaye Soumare ◽  
Abdala G. Diedhiou ◽  
Moses Thuita ◽  
Mohamed Hafidi ◽  
Yedir Ouhdouch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Biological Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Added Value ◽  
World Population ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Biological Nitrogen

For all living organisms, nitrogen is an essential element, while being the most limiting in ecosystems and for crop production. Despite the significant contribution of synthetic fertilizers, nitrogen requirements for food production increase from year to year, while the overuse of agrochemicals compromise soil health and agricultural sustainability. One alternative to overcome this problem is biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). Indeed, more than 60% of the fixed N on Earth results from BNF. Therefore, optimizing BNF in agriculture is more and more urgent to help meet the demand of the food production needs for the growing world population. This optimization will require a good knowledge of the diversity of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms, the mechanisms of fixation, and the selection and formulation of efficient N-fixing microorganisms as biofertilizers. Good understanding of BNF process may allow the transfer of this ability to other non-fixing microorganisms or to non-leguminous plants with high added value. This minireview covers a brief history on BNF, cycle and mechanisms of nitrogen fixation, biofertilizers market value, and use of biofertilizers in agriculture. The minireview focuses particularly on some of the most effective microbial products marketed to date, their efficiency, and success-limiting in agriculture. It also highlights opportunities and difficulties of transferring nitrogen fixation capacity in cereals.

Biological nitrogen fixation research and technology assessment for Egypt: II. Training, research, and inoculant production

1984 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-28
Author(s):  
J. R. Sims ◽  
W. C. Lindemann ◽  
R. S. Smith ◽  
S. H. West ◽  
L. R. Frederick
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Technology Assessment ◽  
Biological Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Training Research ◽  
Biological Nitrogen

scholarly journals Functional analysis of multiple nifB genes of Paenibacillus strains in synthesis of Mo-, Fe- and V-nitrogenases

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qin Li ◽  
Haowei Zhang ◽  
Liqun Zhang ◽  
Sanfeng Chen
Keyword(s):  
Functional Analysis ◽  
Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Gene Cluster ◽  
Biological Nitrogen Fixation ◽  
Deletion Analysis ◽  
Phylogeny Analysis ◽  
Biological Nitrogen

Abstract Background Biological nitrogen fixation is catalyzed by Mo-, V- and Fe-nitrogenases that are encoded by nif, vnf and anf genes, respectively. NifB is the key protein in synthesis of the cofactors of all nitrogenases. Most diazotrophic Paenibacillus strains have only one nifB gene located in a compact nif gene cluster (nifBHDKENX(orf1)hesAnifV). But some Paenibacillus strains have multiple nifB genes and their functions are not known. Results A total of 138 nifB genes are found in the 116 diazotrophic Paenibacillus strains. Phylogeny analysis shows that these nifB genes fall into 4 classes: nifBI class including the genes (named as nifB1 genes) that are the first gene within the compact nif gene cluster, nifBII class including the genes (named as nifB2 genes) that are adjacent to anf or vnf genes, nifBIII class whose members are designated as nifB3 genes and nifBIV class whose members are named as nifB4 genes are scattered on genomes. Functional analysis by complementation of the ∆nifB mutant of P. polymyxa which has only one nifB gene has shown that both nifB1 and nifB2 are active in synthesis of Mo-nitrogenase, while nifB3 and nifB4 genes are not. Deletion analysis also has revealed that nifB1 of Paenibacillus sabinae T27 is involved in synthesis of Mo-nitrogenase, while nifB3 and nifB4 genes are not. Complementation of the P. polymyxa ∆nifBHDK mutant with the four reconstituted operons: nifB1anfHDGK, nifB2anfHDGK, nifB1vnfHDGK and nifB2vnfHDGK, has shown both that nifB1 and nifB2 were able to support synthesis of Fe- or V-nitrogenases. Transcriptional results obtained in the original Paenibacillus strains are consistent with the complementation results. Conclusions The multiple nifB genes of the diazotrophic Paenibacillus strains are divided into 4 classes. The nifB1 located in a compact nif gene cluster (nifBHDKENX(orf1)hesAnifV) and the nifB2 genes being adjacent to nif or anf or vnf genes are active in synthesis of Mo-, Fe and V-nitrogenases, but nifB3 and nifB4 are not. The reconstituted anf system comprising 8 genes (nifBanfHDGK and nifXhesAnifV) and vnf system comprising 10 genes (nifBvnfHDGKEN and nifXhesAnifV) support synthesis of Fe-nitrogenase and V-nitrogenase in Paenibacillus background, respectively.

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