Potential of Rhizobium sullae–Sulla coronaria Symbiotic Biological Nitrogen Fixation to Supplement Synthetic Mineral Nitrogen in Olive Tree Fertilization

The aim of the present work is to compare olive tree nitrogen fertilization over two years of trials, using synthetic chemical fertilizers along with organic fertilizers composed of the green manure of sulla (Sulla coronaria) inoculated with the symbiont Rhizobium sullae or left uninoculated. The tests indicated that symbiotic nitrogen fixation promoted by the sulla–R. sullae symbiosis represents an important source of nitrogen that can replace or supplement synthetic nitrogen fertilizers for olive tree cultivation when sulla is inoculated with R. sullae in a soil already populated by the symbiont. Integration of the indigenous population of R. sullae via sulla inoculation with a selected strain yielded nodule formation in 100% of plants and produced a sufficient amount of biomass rich in nitrogen with a low C/N ratio. On the contrary, olive tree fertilization using the green manure of sulla that was not inoculated with the symbiont supplied significantly less organic nitrogen in 2017 and 2018, respectively, compared to the control. Optimal management of the multi-factorial approaches involved in green manure olive fertilization are also reported.

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BIOLOGICAL NITROGEN TRANSFORMATION IN AGROCENOSES OF POTATO AND PRODUCTIVITY OF CULTURE IN ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

Agriciltural microbiology ◽

10.35868/1997-3004.24.3-8 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 24 ◽

pp. 3-8

Author(s):

V. V. Volkohon ◽

S. B. Dimova ◽

K. I. Volkohon ◽

V. P. Horban ◽

M. A. Zhurba ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitrogen Fixation ◽

Green Manure ◽

Nitrogenase Activity ◽

Significant Loss ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

Gaseous Nitrogen ◽

Potato Plants ◽

Biological Nitrogen ◽

Productivity Gains

The effect of organic fertilizers (cattle manure and lupine green manure), as well asmicrobial preparation Biohran on the dynamics of the activity process of nitrogen fixation andN2O emissions in the rhizosphere soil of potato plants, crop yield, and product quality have beeninvestigated. The use of manures stimulates activity of nitrogen fixation, but at the same time,accompanied by a significant loss of gaseous nitrogen compounds. The efficiency of Biohran bythis agrobackground is largely levelled. Lupine green manure stimulates nitrogenase activity,especially in combination with biopreparation. At the same time, there is a tendency to reducenitrous oxide emission. Organic fertilizers contributed to a reliable raise of potato yield. Biohranprovide productivity gains only on the background of green manure. Microbial preparationcontributed to the improvement of quality of production parameters by all studiedagrobackgrounds.

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Novel rhizobia exhibit superior nodulation and biological nitrogen fixation even under high nitrate concentrations

FEMS Microbiology Ecology ◽

10.1093/femsec/fiz184 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 96 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Hien P Nguyen ◽

Hiroki Miwa ◽

Jennifer Obirih-Opareh ◽

Takuya Suzaki ◽

Michiko Yasuda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitrogen Fixation ◽

Bradyrhizobium Japonicum ◽

Root Nodules ◽

Nitrogen Fertilizers ◽

Nodule Formation ◽

Nitrogen Fixing ◽

Nitrogen Fixation Activity ◽

Nitrate Concentrations ◽

Nodulation Competitiveness ◽

Biological Nitrogen

ABSTRACT Legume–rhizobium symbiosis leads to the formation of nitrogen-fixing root nodules. However, externally applied chemical nitrogen fertilizers (nitrate and ammonia) strongly inhibit nodule formation and nitrogen fixation. Here, we isolated several rhizobial strains exhibiting a superior nodulation and nitrogen fixation with soybean at high nitrate concentrations. The nodulation of soybean symbiont Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens USDA110 was significantly inhibited at 12.5 mM nitrate; however, three isolates (NKS4, NKM2 and NKTG2) were capable of forming nitrogen-fixing nodules, even at 20 mM nitrate. These isolates exhibited higher nodulation competitiveness and induced larger nodules with higher nitrogen-fixation activity than USDA110 at 5 mM nitrate. Furthermore, these isolates induced more nodules than USDA110 even in nitrate-free conditions. These isolates had a distant lineage within the Bradyrhizobium genus; though they were relatively phylogenetically close to Bradyrhizobium japonicum, their morphological and growth characteristics were significantly different. Notably, in the presence of nitrate, expression of the soybean symbiosis-related genes (GmENOD40 and GmNIN) was significantly higher and expression of GmNIC1 that is involved in nitrate-dependent nodulation inhibition was lower in the roots inoculated with these isolates in contrast with inoculation of USDA110. These novel rhizobia serve as promising inoculants for soybeans cultivated in diverse agroecosystems, particularly on nitrate-applied soils.

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Competition, Nodule Occupancy, and Persistence of Inoculant Strains: Key Factors in the Rhizobium-Legume Symbioses

Frontiers in Plant Science ◽

10.3389/fpls.2021.690567 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Marcela Mendoza-Suárez ◽

Stig U. Andersen ◽

Philip S. Poole ◽

Carmen Sánchez-Cañizares

Keyword(s):

Nitrogen Fixation ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Local Environment ◽

Nitrogen Fertilizers ◽

Superior Performance ◽

Nodule Occupancy ◽

Inoculant Strain ◽

Native Strains ◽

Biological Nitrogen ◽

Rhizobial Inoculants

Biological nitrogen fixation by Rhizobium-legume symbioses represents an environmentally friendly and inexpensive alternative to the use of chemical nitrogen fertilizers in legume crops. Rhizobial inoculants, applied frequently as biofertilizers, play an important role in sustainable agriculture. However, inoculants often fail to compete for nodule occupancy against native rhizobia with inferior nitrogen-fixing abilities, resulting in low yields. Strains with excellent performance under controlled conditions are typically selected as inoculants, but the rates of nodule occupancy compared to native strains are rarely investigated. Lack of persistence in the field after agricultural cycles, usually due to the transfer of symbiotic genes from the inoculant strain to naturalized populations, also limits the suitability of commercial inoculants. When rhizobial inoculants are based on native strains with a high nitrogen fixation ability, they often have superior performance in the field due to their genetic adaptations to the local environment. Therefore, knowledge from laboratory studies assessing competition and understanding how diverse strains of rhizobia behave, together with assays done under field conditions, may allow us to exploit the effectiveness of native populations selected as elite strains and to breed specific host cultivar-rhizobial strain combinations. Here, we review current knowledge at the molecular level on competition for nodulation and the advances in molecular tools for assessing competitiveness. We then describe ongoing approaches for inoculant development based on native strains and emphasize future perspectives and applications using a multidisciplinary approach to ensure optimal performance of both symbiotic partners.

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EFFECT OF PHOSPHATE ON NODULE PRIMORDIA OF SOYBEAN (Glycine max Merrill) IN ACID SOILS IN RHIZOTRON EXPERIMENTS

Indonesian Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.21082/ijas.v5n2.2004.p37-44 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 37 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Setiyo Hadi Waluyo ◽

Tek An Lie ◽

Leendert ’t Mannetje

Keyword(s):

Nitrogen Fixation ◽

Root Growth ◽

Acid Soils ◽

Nodule Formation ◽

Soybean Plant ◽

Limiting Nutrients ◽

West Sumatra ◽

And Function ◽

Biological Nitrogen ◽

Positive Effect

To clarify whether P had a direct or indirect effect on the nodulation process of soybean grown in acid soils from Sitiung, West Sumatra, Indonesia, a series of rhizotron experiments, with special attention given to formation of nodule primordia, was conducted at Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University in 1998-2000. It was shown that Ca and P were essential nutrients for root growth, nodule formation, and growth of soybean in the acid soils (Oxisols). Ca increased root growth, number of nodule primordia, nodules, and growth of the soybean plant. This positive effect of Ca was increased considerably by the application of P. Ca and P have a synergistic effect on biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) of soybean in acid soils. Ca is important for the establishment of nodules, whilst P is essential for the development and function of the formed nodules. P increased number of nodule primordia, thus it also has an important role in the initiation of nodule formation. From this study, it can be concluded that Ca and P are the most limiting nutrients for BNF of soybean in the acid soils of Sitiung, West Sumatra, Indonesia.

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A Convenient, Soil-Free Method for the Production of Root Nodules in Soybean to Study the Effects of Exogenous Additives

10.20944/preprints201809.0527.v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Swarup Roy Choudhury ◽

Sarah M. Johns ◽

Sona Pandey

Keyword(s):

Nitrogen Fixation ◽

Biological Nitrogen Fixation ◽

Root Nodules ◽

Growth Conditions ◽

Nodule Development ◽

Nodule Formation ◽

Legume Crop ◽

Simple Protocol ◽

Biological Nitrogen

Legumes develop root nodules that harbour endosymbiotic bacteria, rhizobia. These rhizobia convert nitrogen to ammonia by biological nitrogen fixation. A thorough understanding of the biological nitrogen fixation in legumes and its regulation is key to develop sustainable agriculture. It is well known that plant hormones affect nodule formation; however, most studies are limited to model legumes due to their suitability for in vitro, plate-based assays. Specifically, it is almost impossible to measure the effects of exogenous hormones or other additives during nodule development in crop legumes such as soybean as they have huge root system in soil. To circumvent this issue, the present research develops suitable media and growth conditions for efficient nodule development under in vitro, soil free conditions in an important legume crop, soybean. Moreover, we also evaluate the effects of all major phytohormones during soybean nodulation under identical conditions. This versatile, inexpensive, scalable and simple protocol provides several advantages over previously established methods. It is extremely time-and resource-efficient, does not require special training or equipment, and produces highly reproducible results. The approach is expandable to other large legumes as well as for other exogenous additives.

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Nitrogen-15 labeling of Crotalaria juncea green manure

Scientia Agricola ◽

10.1590/s0103-90162003000100027 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 60 (1) ◽

pp. 181-184 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Edmilson José Ambrosano ◽

Paulo Cesar Ocheuze Trivelin ◽

Heitor Cantarella ◽

Raffaella Rossetto ◽

Takashi Muraoka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitrogen Fixation ◽

Plant Tissue ◽

Green Manure ◽

Plant Material ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Field Experiments ◽

Leguminous Plant ◽

Legume Species ◽

Crotalaria Juncea ◽

Biological Nitrogen

Most studies dealing with the utilization of 15N labeled plant material do not present details about the labeling technique. This is especially relevant for legume species since biological nitrogen fixation difficults plant enrichment. A technique was developed for labeling leguminous plant tissue with 15N to obtain labeled material for nitrogen dynamics studies. Sun hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) was grown on a Paleudalf, under field conditions. An amount of 58.32 g of urea with 70.57 ± 0.04 atom % 15N was sprayed three times on plants grown on eight 6-m²-plots. The labelled material presented 2.412 atom % 15N in a total dry matter equivalent to 9 Mg ha-1 This degree of enrichment enables the use of the green manure in pot or field experiments requiring 15N-labeled material.

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Growth rate and nutritional status of an organic coffee cropping system

Scientia Agricola ◽

10.1590/s0103-90162005000200008 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 62 (2) ◽

pp. 138-144 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Marta dos Santos Freire Ricci ◽

Bruno José Rodrigues Alves ◽

Simone Cordeiro de Miranda ◽

Fabio Freire de Oliveira

Keyword(s):

Nitrogen Fixation ◽

Nutritional Status ◽

Biological Nitrogen Fixation ◽

Plant Biomass ◽

Dry Mass ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

Total N ◽

Sunn Hemp ◽

Biological Nitrogen ◽

Organic Coffee

In view of the low N concentration in organic fertilizers, it is necessary to use high rates of such fertilizers to attend coffee crop requirements. Hence, N is the most limiting nutrient for organic coffee production. The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea) organic fertilization on the growth and nutritional status of coffee cultivars, as well as to quantify plant biomass and N input derived from biological nitrogen fixation, and their effect on soil chemical characteristics. The experiment consisted of six coffee (Coffea arabica) cultivars intercropped with and without sunn hemp sown in November 2001 and pruned at mid-height 76 days later. At 175 days, the standing biomass of the legume was cut, measuring dry mass, total N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and 15N natural abundance, resulting 16 t ha-1 of dry mass and the recycling of 444, 21, 241, 191, and 44 kg ha-1 of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg, respectively. Cultivars 'Obatã' and 'Catuaí Vermelho' presented the highest growth rates in terms of plant height, while cultivars 'Icatu' and 'Oeiras' presented the lowest rates. Biological nitrogen fixation associated to the legume introduced more than 200 kg ha-1 of N, which is a demonstration that N fertilization in organic cropping systems is a valuable alternative. Intercropping lead to a constant coffee leaf N content during the entire cropping cycle, contrary to what was observed in plots grown without sunn hemp.

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EFFECT OF PHOSPHATE ON NODULE PRIMORDIA OF SOYBEAN (Glycine max Merrill) IN ACID SOILS IN RHIZOTRON EXPERIMENTS

Indonesian Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.21082/ijas.v5n2.2004.37-44 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 37 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Setiyo Hadi Waluyo ◽

Tek An Lie ◽

Leendert ’t Mannetje

Keyword(s):

Nitrogen Fixation ◽

Root Growth ◽

Acid Soils ◽

Nodule Formation ◽

Soybean Plant ◽

Limiting Nutrients ◽

West Sumatra ◽

And Function ◽

Biological Nitrogen ◽

Positive Effect

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Effect of Natural Organic Nitrogen Fertilizers on Hybrid Bermudagrass Growth

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech.7.3.289 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 289-292 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M.L. Elliott ◽

M. Prevatte

Keyword(s):

Organic Nitrogen ◽

Cynodon Dactylon ◽

Growth Parameters ◽

Organic Fertilizer ◽

Organic Fertilizers ◽

Nitrogen Fertilizers ◽

Golf Course ◽

Putting Green ◽

Isobutylidene Diurea

Eco, Milorganite, Ringer, and Sustane natural organic fertilizers, alone or combined with the synthetic organic fertilizer isobutylidene diurea (IBDU), were compared with IBDU alone for their effect on a `Tifdwarf' hybrid bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. × C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy] golf course putting green. Over the 2-year study period, no consistent differences were observed among the fertilizer treatments on the turfgrass growth parameters of quality, clipping weights, or root weights.

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Engineering Nitrogen Fixation Activity in an Oxygenic Phototroph

10.1101/316547 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Deng Liu ◽

Michelle Liberton ◽

Jingjie Yu ◽

Himadri B. Pakrasi ◽

Maitrayee Bhattacharyya-Pakrasi

Keyword(s):

Nitrogen Fixation ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Nitrogenase Activity ◽

Crop Plants ◽

Nitrogen Fertilizers ◽

Nitrogen Fixation Activity ◽

Fixation Activity ◽

Photosynthetic Organism ◽

Biological Nitrogen ◽

Oxygenic Phototroph

ABSTRACTBiological nitrogen fixation is catalyzed by nitrogenase, a complex metalloenzyme found only in prokaryotes. N2fixation is energetically highly expensive, and an energy generating process such as photosynthesis can meet the energy demand of N2fixation. However, synthesis and expression of nitrogenase is exquisitely sensitive to oxygen. Thus, engineering nitrogen fixation activity in photosynthetic organisms that produce oxygen is challenging. Cyanobacteria are oxygenic photosynthetic prokaryotes, and some of them also fix N2. Here, we demonstrate a feasible way to engineer nitrogenase activity in the non-diazotrophic cyanobacteriumSynechocystissp. PCC 6803 through the transfer of 35 nitrogen fixation (nif) genes from the diazotrophic cyanobacteriumCyanothecesp. ATCC 51142. In addition, we have identified the minimalnifcluster required for such activity inSynechocystis6803. Moreover, nitrogenase activity was significantly improved by increasing the expression levels ofnifgenes. Importantly, the O2tolerance of nitrogenase was enhanced by introduction of uptake hydrogenase genes, showing this to be a functional way to improve nitrogenase enzyme activity under micro-oxic conditions. To date, our efforts have resulted in engineeredSynechocystis6803 strains that remarkably have more than 30% N2-fixation activity compared to that inCyanothece51142, the highest such activity established in any non-diazotrophic oxygenic photosynthetic organism. This study establishes a baseline towards the ultimate goal of engineering nitrogen fixation ability in crop plants.IMPORTANCEApplication of chemically synthesized nitrogen fertilizers has revolutionized agriculture. However, the energetic costs of such production processes as well as the wide spread application of fertilizers have raised serious environmental issues. A sustainable alternative is to endow crop plants the ability to fix atmospheric N2in situ. One long-term approach is to transfer allnifgenes from a prokaryote to plant cells, and express nitrogenase in an energy-producing organelle, chloroplast or mitochondrion. In this context,Synechocystis6803, the non-diazotrophic cyanobacterium utilized in this study, provides a model chassis for rapid investigation of the necessary requirements to establish diazotrophy in an oxygenic phototroph.

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