Washington State University biologist Mechthild Tegeder has developed a way to dramatically increase the yield and quality of soybeans.
Her greenhouse-grown soybean plants fix twice as much nitrogen from the atmosphere as their natural counterparts, grow larger and produce up to 36 percent more seeds.
Tegeder designed a novel way to increase the flow of nitrogen, an essential nutrient, from specialized bacteria in soybean root nodules to the seed-producing organs.
The additional transport proteins sped up the overall export of nitrogen from the root nodules.
Large amounts of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer are applied around the world to ensure high plant productivity.
One major benefit of growing legumes such as chickpeas, common beans, peas and soybeans is that they not only can use atmospheric nitrogen for their own growth but also leave residual nitrogen in the soil for subsequent crops.
Hence, increasing nitrogen fixation could improve overall plant productivity for farmers who grow legumes in both industrial and developing countries while diminishing or eliminating the need for nitrogen fertilizers.
"Our research also has the potential to be transferred to other crop plants that don’t fix nitrogen from the atmosphere but would benefit from being able to uptake nitrogen more efficiently from the soil."
"Soybean nitrogen breakthrough could help feed the world: Greenhouse-grown soybean plants produce up to 36 percent more seeds."
"Soybean nitrogen breakthrough could help feed the world: Greenhouse-grown soybean plants produce up to 36 percent more seeds."