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A Model for Nitrogen Fixation in Cereal Crops.

Alan B Bennett1, Vânia C S Pankievicz2, Jean-Michel Ané3

  • 1Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.

Trends in Plant Science
|January 20, 2020
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cereal crops may use root mucilage to form nitrogen-fixing microbial associations. This mechanism, observed in unique maize, could be a general strategy for cereals to acquire atmospheric nitrogen.

Keywords:
cereal cropsdiazotrophmicrobiotamucilagenitrogen fixation

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Area of Science:

  • Agricultural Science
  • Microbiology
  • Plant Science

Background:

  • Nitrogen-fixing microbial associations with cereals have been studied for over a century.
  • A unique maize landrace acquires significant nitrogen from atmospheric dinitrogen via mucilage-secreting aerial roots.
  • Mucilage secretion by roots is common in cereals, suggesting a potential general mechanism for microbial diazotroph associations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of root mucilage in supporting nitrogen-fixing microbial associations in cereals.
  • To propose a model for the association between nitrogen-fixing microbes and maize mucilage.
  • To identify key functionalities of this diazotrophic association.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on nitrogen fixation in cereals.
  • Analysis of the unique nitrogen-fixing mechanism in Sierra Mixe maize.
  • Hypothesizing a general model for mucilage-mediated microbial diazotroph associations in cereals.

Main Results:

  • The Sierra Mixe maize landrace demonstrates significant nitrogen acquisition (28-82%) from atmospheric dinitrogen.
  • Mucilage secreted by aerial roots plays a crucial role in supporting these nitrogen-fixing microbes.
  • A model is proposed for the association of nitrogen-fixing microbes with maize mucilage.

Conclusions:

  • Root mucilage secretion may represent a general mechanism for cereals to support associations with microbial diazotrophs.
  • Understanding this association can lead to improved nitrogen use efficiency in cereal crops.
  • The proposed model highlights four main functionalities for a productive diazotrophic association.