Discovery in legumes could reduce fertilizer use, aid environment
Monday, March 1, 2010 - 10:28
in Earth & Climate
Escalating use of nitrogen fertilizer is increasing algal blooms and global warming, but a discovery by Stanford researchers could begin to reverse that. They have revealed a key step in how symbiotic bacteria living in legumes turn nitrogen into plant food, which could be used to improve the process in some plants, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.