Corn variety gets nutrients from bacteria, potentially reducing need for fertilizer
Tuesday, August 7, 2018 - 17:30
in Biology & Nature
Is it possible to grow cereal crops without having to rely on energy-requiring commercial fertilizers? Researchers now describe a newly identified corn variety which acquires nitrogen -- an essential nutrient for plants -- by feeding its sugars to beneficial bacteria, which can in turn take up nitrogen from the air and pass it back to the plant in a usable form.