TITLE:
Potential Breeding for High Nitrogen Fixation in Pisum sativum L.: Germplasm Phenotypic Characterization and Genetic Investigation
AUTHORS:
R. Abi-Ghanem, E. T. Bodah, M. Wood, K. Braunwart
KEYWORDS:
Nitrogen Fixation; Field Peas; Agricultural Inputs
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.4 No.8,
August
5,
2013
ABSTRACT: Nitrogen (N)
is the most yield-limiting crop nutrient worldwide. Industrially produced N has
increased in cost over the past years, and is unavailable in many regions
around the globe. Biological N fixation by rhizobial bacteria is a great
underutilized resource that this project aims to maximize. Grain legumes fix
approximately 20 to 100 kg·N·ha-1·yr-1.
The amount of N supplied by fixation is affected by genes and traits of both
the bacterial and plant partners. The objectives of this study are to
identify Pisum sativum varieties with
high nitrogen fixation efficiency. This is achieved by germplasm screening and
phenotypic evaluation of nodule formation, total plant nitrogen, and residual
nitrogen in soil. Significant differences in plant total nitrogen among the
various cultivated genotypes were found, with heritability of 0.57. These pea
varieties left in the soil a residual N that varies between 11.21 to 65.018 kg.N.ha-1. Our
findings reveal a unique opportunity for improving N fixation through genetic
crossing and selection.