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hy do tomato fields need these "invisible workers"? Explore the miracle of rhizobia and plant symbiosis
In agricultural production, the growth of plants depends not only on water and sunlight, but also on an important element - nitrogen. However, usable forms of nitrogen do not occur naturally in the atmosphere but need to be converted by specific microorganisms, so-called "invisible workers." These microorganisms are mainly some special bacteria and archaea, called diazotrophs, and their functions are extremely valuable, especially for the growth of plants such as tomatoes.
Nitrogen-fixing microorganisms are microorganisms that are able to convert atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into biologically available forms, such as ammonia.
There are many types of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms, which can be divided into free-living and symbiotic types. Free-living nitrogen-fixing microorganisms, such as Klebsiella pneumoniae and Chlorella vulgaris, are able to grow in environments lacking fixed nitrogen and utilize nitrogen directly from the atmosphere. Symbiotic nitrogen-fixing microorganisms, such as rhizobia, form a symbiotic relationship with legumes, which not only promotes plant growth but also enhances soil fertility.
Rhizobia are an important group of bacteria that live in symbiosis with legumes (Fabaceae), forming specialized nodules on the roots of these plants. Oxygen in the nodules binds to hemoglobin produced by the legumes to protect the function of the nitrogenase enzyme from being impaired. In this way, the rhizobia can effectively fix nitrogen from the atmosphere into ammonia that can be used by plants, thereby promoting healthy plant growth.
In the soil, fixed nitrogen is absorbed by primary producers and then transferred to higher consumers, ultimately affecting human survival.
The role of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms is not limited to providing an essential source of nitrogen; their biological processes are also critical to the Earth's nitrogen cycle. In terrestrial ecosystems, nitrogen fixing microorganisms fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, providing the ammonia needed by primary producers and forming the basis of the entire ecological chain. People discovered in ancient times that growing legumes can improve the soil, and this phenomenon is precisely where rhizobia play an important role.
With the development of biological agriculture, the application of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms faces greater attention. Using nitrogen-fixing microorganisms as biofertilizer can effectively reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and maintain environmental sustainability. The use of biofertilizers not only protects soil ecology, but also promotes plant growth more effectively. These microorganisms are able to perform biological nitrogen fixation at normal temperature and pressure, and produce usable nitrogen in a relatively cheap and efficient manner.
The process of biological nitrogen fixation can be carried out without the need for extreme conditions and specific catalysts.
In modern agriculture, common nitrogen-fixing microorganisms include Rhizobia, Azotobacter and blue-green algae. These biofertilizers can be divided into two forms: liquid and solid. After fermentation, liquid microbial fertilizers can be directly applied to arable land, while solid fertilizers can better retain nutrients in the soil and be used by plants over time.
Looking at the entire ecosystem, the nitrogen fixed by nitrogen-fixing microorganisms is not only a necessary condition for plant growth, but also participates in the nitrogen cycle in the marine ecosystem, providing important nutrition for the survival of higher organisms. As global awareness of environmental sustainability increases, research and application of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms will become more active, playing a greater role in agriculture and biodiversity conservation.
Therefore, nitrogen-fixing microorganisms will play a more important role in future agricultural development. Does this mean that we can rely on these invisible workers to solve the problem of insufficient soil fertility?
