Nitrogen Fixation: A Biotechnological Opportunity for Canadian Forestry

1983 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 249-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Chatarpaul ◽  
A. Carlisle

Intensive harvesting and forest management systems will increase nitrogen and organic matter losses from forest soils, and there will be a need to manage the soils using both fertilizers and nitrogen-fixing techniques to maintain site productivity. Legumes and non-legumes with nitrogen-fixing symbioses can fix up to 300 kg ha−1 year−1 of nitrogen and provide soil organic matter, but poor soils will need fertilization to maintain the nitrogen-fixing process. There are many species and cultural techniques the forester can use, including green manuring and mixed stands, but carefully designed field trials are needed to solve cultural problems. In addition, there are many opportunities for genetic selection of both the trees and shrubs and the bacteria (actinomycetes) involved. Before the systems can be used effectively the operational foresters will need to be better informed about the soil biota and the interaction with site and vegetation. The development of nitrogen-fixing systems offers a biotechnological opportunity for Canadian foresters to increase tree yield while maintaining site productivity.

1982 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constance A. Harrington ◽  
Robert L. Deal

Juvenile height growth of Sitka alder (Alnussinuata (Regel) Rydb.), a nitrogen-fixing shrub, was examined on eight sites. The potential compatibility of mixed stands of Sitka alder and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) was then assessed by comparing height-growth curves of the two species at early ages. Based on Sitka alder's low height and early slowdown in height growth, it appears to be a reasonable candidate for mixed stands on sites where additions of nitrogen or organic matter are desirable. On poor quality Douglas-fir sites, however, Douglas-fir should be given a head start to insure that it is not suppressed.


GIS Business ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 425-431
Author(s):  
Subin Thomas ◽  
Dr. M. Nandhini

Biofertilizers are fertilizers containing microorganisms that promote plant growth by improving the supply of nutrients to the host plant. The supply of nutrients is improved naturally by nitrogen fixation and solubilizing phosphorus. The living microorganisms in biofertilizers help in building organic matter in the soil and restoring the natural nutrient cycle. Biofertilizers can be grouped into Nitrogen-fixing biofertilizers, Phosphorous-solubilizing biofertilizers, Phosphorous-mobilizing biofertilizers, Biofertilizers for micro nutrients and Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria. This study conducted in Kottayam district was intended to identify the awareness and acceptance of biofertilizers among the farmers of the area. Data have been collected from 120 farmers by direct interviews with structured questionnaire.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 2002-2014
Author(s):  
Ling-Ling Yang ◽  
Zhao Jiang ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
En-Tao Wang ◽  
Xiao-Yang Zhi

Abstract Rhizobia are soil bacteria capable of forming symbiotic nitrogen-fixing nodules associated with leguminous plants. In fast-growing legume-nodulating rhizobia, such as the species in the family Rhizobiaceae, the symbiotic plasmid is the main genetic basis for nitrogen-fixing symbiosis, and is susceptible to horizontal gene transfer. To further understand the symbioses evolution in Rhizobiaceae, we analyzed the pan-genome of this family based on 92 genomes of type/reference strains and reconstructed its phylogeny using a phylogenomics approach. Intriguingly, although the genetic expansion that occurred in chromosomal regions was the main reason for the high proportion of low-frequency flexible gene families in the pan-genome, gene gain events associated with accessory plasmids introduced more genes into the genomes of nitrogen-fixing species. For symbiotic plasmids, although horizontal gene transfer frequently occurred, transfer may be impeded by, such as, the host’s physical isolation and soil conditions, even among phylogenetically close species. During coevolution with leguminous hosts, the plasmid system, including accessory and symbiotic plasmids, may have evolved over a time span, and provided rhizobial species with the ability to adapt to various environmental conditions and helped them achieve nitrogen fixation. These findings provide new insights into the phylogeny of Rhizobiaceae and advance our understanding of the evolution of symbiotic nitrogen fixation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Savoia ◽  
Andrea Albera ◽  
Alberto Brugiapaglia ◽  
Liliana Di Stasio ◽  
Alessio Cecchinato ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The possibility of assessing meat quality traits over the meat chain is strongly limited, especially in the context of selective breeding which requires a large number of phenotypes. The main objective of this study was to investigate the suitability of portable infrared spectrometers for phenotyping beef cattle aiming to genetically improving the quality of their meat. Meat quality traits (pH, color, water holding capacity, tenderness) were appraised on rib eye muscle samples of 1,327 Piemontese young bulls using traditional (i.e., reference/gold standard) laboratory analyses; the same traits were also predicted from spectra acquired at the abattoir on the intact muscle surface of the same animals 1 d after slaughtering. Genetic parameters were estimated for both laboratory measures of meat quality traits and their spectra-based predictions. Results The prediction performances of the calibration equations, assessed through external validation, were satisfactory for color traits (R2 from 0.52 to 0.80), low for pH and purge losses (R2 around 0.30), and very poor for cooking losses and tenderness (R2 below 0.20). Except for lightness and purge losses, the heritability estimates of most of the predicted traits were lower than those of the measured traits while the genetic correlations between measured and predicted traits were high (average value 0.81). Conclusions Results showed that NIRS predictions of color traits, pH, and purge losses could be used as indicator traits for the indirect genetic selection of the reference quality phenotypes. Results for cooking losses were less effective, while the NIR predictions of tenderness were affected by a relatively high uncertainty of estimate. Overall, genetic selection of some meat quality traits, whose direct phenotyping is difficult, can benefit of the application of infrared spectrometers technology.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luz K. Medina-Cordoba ◽  
Aroon T. Chande ◽  
Lavanya Rishishwar ◽  
Leonard W. Mayer ◽  
Lina C. Valderrama-Aguirre ◽  
...  

AbstractPrevious studies have shown the sugarcane microbiome harbors diverse plant growth promoting microorganisms, including nitrogen-fixing bacteria (diazotrophs), which can serve as biofertilizers. The genomes of 22 diazotrophs from Colombian sugarcane fields were sequenced to investigate potential biofertilizers. A genome-enabled computational phenotyping approach was developed to prioritize sugarcane associated diazotrophs according to their potential as biofertilizers. This method selects isolates that have potential for nitrogen fixation and other plant growth promoting (PGP) phenotypes while showing low risk for virulence and antibiotic resistance. Intact nitrogenase (nif) genes and operons were found in 18 of the isolates. Isolates also encode phosphate solubilization and siderophore production operons, and other PGP genes. The majority of sugarcane isolates showed uniformly low predicted virulence and antibiotic resistance compared to clinical isolates. Six strains with the highest overall genotype scores were experimentally evaluated for nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, and the production of siderophores, gibberellic acid, and indole acetic acid. Results from the biochemical assays were consistent and validated computational phenotype predictions. A genotypic and phenotypic threshold was observed that separated strains by their potential for PGP versus predicted pathogenicity. Our results indicate that computational phenotyping is a promising tool for the assessment of bacteria detected in agricultural ecosystems.


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (20) ◽  
pp. 5857
Author(s):  
Brandy J. Johnson ◽  
Anthony P. Malanoski ◽  
Jeffrey S. Erickson

This review describes an ongoing effort intended to develop wireless sensor networks for real-time monitoring of airborne targets across a broad area. The goal is to apply the spectrophotometric characteristics of porphyrins and metalloporphyrins in a colorimetric array for detection and discrimination of changes in the chemical composition of environmental air samples. The work includes hardware, software, and firmware design as well as development of algorithms for identification of event occurrence and discrimination of targets. Here, we describe the prototype devices and algorithms related to this effort as well as work directed at selection of indicator arrays for use with the system. Finally, we review the field trials completed with the prototype devices and discuss the outlook for further development.


2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (7) ◽  
pp. 530-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luiz Paulo de Carvalho ◽  
Josiane Isabela da Silva Rodrigues ◽  
Francisco José Correia Farias

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the oil content and characters related to fiber quality and yield in cotton lines (Gossypium hirsutum), in order to select genotypes with high oil content and acceptable levels of the other characters. Twenty-two F6 lines and three checks were cultivated in three field trials - two in the municipality of Apodi, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, and one in the municipality of Barbalha, in the state of Ceará, both in Brazil. The genetic parameters and the genetic gain from selecting 20% of the lines were estimated according to their means in each environment and in the group of environments. Regarding oil content, there is genetic variability, and the selection based on the overall mean is indicated, since this character showed high heritability, with 4.58% expected gain. The lines selected with this criterion have oil contents between 23.52 and 24.51%, which are higher than those of the Brazilian cultivar BRS Aroeira with the highest grain oil content (22.04%).


1998 ◽  
Vol 1998 ◽  
pp. 69-69
Author(s):  
S. Fakhri ◽  
A. R. Moss ◽  
D.I. Givens ◽  
E. Owen

The gas production (GP) technique has previously been used to estimate the gas volume (fermentable energy (FE)) of compound feed ingredients for ruminants (Newbold et al., 1996). It was shown that the FE content of feed mixtures was represented by the combination of the total gas from the incubation of the individual feeds. However this additivity might not be consistent throughout the incubation period. The objectives were to test whether 1. other GP parameters give better estimates of FE for simple mixtures and are they additive; 2. whether organic matter apparently degraded in the rumen (OMADR) explain differences in GP; and 3. to find out if there are any other better measures than OMADR for estimating FE.


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