Revolutionary rice sprouts greener shoots

摘要

For twenty years, researchers have been struggling to find varieties of rice that can take nitrogen from the air and "fix" it like legumes, reducing the need for fertilisers. They are now making some progress. Several research groups have found separate evidence that rice and its grass relatives can benefit from bacteria that colonise their roots and turn atmospheric nitrogen into a form the plants can use. The researchers claim that these symbiotic relationships, if they can be strengthened, offer the best hope yet for reducing the need for commercial fertilisers in the world's rice fields. The findings will be published in the journal Plant and Soil in September.