TITLE:
“Biological Nitrogen Fixation” Book Summary
AUTHORS:
Frans J. de Bruijn
KEYWORDS:
Biological Nitrogen Fixation, Diazotrophs, Nodulation, Nitrogenase, Legumes, Cereals
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Microbiology,
Vol.6 No.6,
May
13,
2016
ABSTRACT: Biological nitrogen fixation is a very valuable alternative to nitrogen
fertilizer. This process will be discussed in the “Biological Nitrogen
Fixation” book. A wide array of free-living and associative nitrogen fixing
organisms (diazotrophs) will be covered. The most extensively studied and
applied example of biological nitrogen fixation is the symbiotic interaction
between nitrogen fixing “rhizobia” and legume plants. While legumes are
important as major food and feed crops, cereals such as wheat, maize and rice
are the primary food crops, but do not have this symbiotic nitrogen fixing
interaction with rhizobia. It has thus been a “holy grail” to transfer the
ability to fix nitrogen to the cereals and this topic will be also addressed in
these books.