nitrogen fixation – mycolab.ai

Role of Azolla in sustainable agriculture and climate resilience: a comprehensive review

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Azolla is a fast-growing water fern that can help farms become more sustainable by naturally fertilizing soil with nitrogen, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers. It also helps control weeds, conserve water, and provides nutritious feed for livestock and fish. Beyond agriculture, Azolla can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and clean polluted water, making it valuable for both farming and environmental protection.

Selected rhizobacteria strains improved the tolerance of Vicia faba plants to microcystins contaminated irrigation water and reduced human health risk

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Farmers in semi-arid regions like Morocco often irrigate crops with water containing toxic cyanobacterial compounds called microcystins, which accumulate in food crops and harm human health. This study showed that inoculating faba bean plants with beneficial soil bacteria, particularly Achromobacter marplatensis, reduced microcystin accumulation in plants by 36% and promoted healthier plant growth despite contaminated water. The approach offers an affordable, sustainable solution to protect food crops in areas with microcystin-contaminated irrigation water.

Actinorhizal plants and Frankiaceae: The overlooked future of phytoremediation

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Actinorhizal plants are special trees and shrubs that team up with beneficial bacteria called Frankiaceae to clean up polluted and degraded soils. This natural partnership helps these plants survive harsh conditions like salty or heavy metal-contaminated soil while also cleaning up the environment. The bacteria help the plants by providing essential nitrogen and improving their ability to tolerate pollution, making them an inexpensive and sustainable solution for restoring degraded farmland.

The Small Key to the Treasure Chest: Endogenous Plant Peptides Involved in Symbiotic Interactions

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Plants use tiny signaling molecules called peptides to communicate with beneficial soil organisms like nitrogen-fixing bacteria and fungi. These peptides act like chemical messengers that help plants decide when to allow these microbes to enter their roots and form helpful relationships. The review identifies over a dozen peptide families that control nodule formation, nutrient uptake, and immune responses, revealing how plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to balance protection against harmful pathogens while welcoming beneficial partners.

In vitro interactions between Bradyrhizobium spp. and Tuber magnatum mycelium

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Scientists have successfully grown white truffle mycelium in the laboratory for the first time by discovering its natural partnership with nitrogen-fixing bacteria called Bradyrhizobium. These bacteria and the truffle mycelium need each other to survive and grow together on culture medium. This breakthrough could revolutionize white truffle cultivation, which is currently difficult and expensive, by allowing farmers to grow truffle-producing plants more efficiently in controlled conditions.

Legume-specific recruitment of rhizobia by hyphae of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

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Underground fungal networks connect different legume plants and act like sophisticated GPS systems for helpful bacteria. These fungi transport chemical signals (flavonoids) from plant roots along their hyphae, guiding specific types of nitrogen-fixing bacteria to their correct host plants. This discovery shows how fungi help bacteria find the right plants to form symbiotic partnerships, improving natural nitrogen fixation and potentially reducing the need for chemical fertilizers in agriculture.

Tackling Conifer Needle Cast and Ash Dieback with Host-Derived Microbial Antagonists Exhibiting Plant Growth-Promoting Traits

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Researchers discovered native bacteria living in European ash and Scots pine trees that can fight two destructive forest diseases: ash dieback and needle cast. These bacteria not only inhibit pathogen growth but also help trees absorb nutrients better, making them excellent natural candidates for protecting forests without harmful chemicals. The study identified several bacterial species that showed strong disease-fighting ability, with one strain preventing needle cast fungus growth by up to 80%.

Legume-specific recruitment of rhizobia by hyphae of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

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Fungi in soil create underground networks connecting plant roots, acting like highways for bacteria called rhizobia. These bacteria need to find the right plant partner to help fix nitrogen from the air. The fungi transport special chemical signals from each plant that guide the bacteria to their correct host, improving crop nitrogen nutrition naturally.

Research Keyword: nitrogen fixation