The legume-rhizobia symbiosis can be supported on Mars soil simulants

Legumes (soybeans, peas, lentils, etc.) play important roles in agriculture on Earth because of their food value and their ability to form a mutualistic beneficial association with rhizobia bacteria. In this association, the host plant benefits from atmospheric nitrogen fixation by rhizobia. The presence of nitrogen in the Mars atmosphere offers the possibility to take advantage of this important plant-microbe association. While some studies have shown that Mars soil simulants can support plant growth, none have investigated if these soils can support the legume-rhizobia symbiosis. In this study, we investigated the establishment of the legume-rhizobia symbiosis on different Mars soil simulants (different grades of the Mojave Mars Simulant (MMS)-1: Coarse, Fine, Unsorted, Superfine, and the MMS-2 simulant). We used the model legume, Medicago truncatula, and its symbiotic partners, Sinorhizobium meliloti and Sinorhizobium medicae, in these experiments. Our results show that root nodules could develop on M. truncatula roots when grown on these Mars soil simulants and were comparable to those formed on plants that were grown on sand. We also detected nifH (a reporter gene for nitrogen fixation) expression inside these nodules. Our results indicate that the different Mars soil simulants used in this study can support legume-rhizobia symbiosis. While the average number of lateral roots and nodule numbers were comparable on plants grown on the different soil simulants, total plant mass was higher in plants grown on MMS-2 soil than on MMS-1 soil and its variants. Our results imply that the chemical composition of the simulants is more critical than their grain size for plant mass. Based on these results, we recommend that the MMS-2 Superfine soil simulant is a better fit than the MMS-1 soil and it’s variants for future studies. Our findings can serve as an excellent resource for future studies investigating beneficial plant-microbe associations for sustainable agriculture on Mars.

Mecanismos de inducción de rizobios para reducir el estrés por sequía en las leguminosas

Drought is one of the main limitations of agricultural productivity and food security, in Andean mountain. The use of atmospheric nitrogen-fixing rhizobia in symbiosis with legumes, and tolerant to a wide range of adverse conditions, such as drought, is a great potential in sustainable agriculture. The aim of this review is to compile studies about drought stress effect on the legume-rhizobia symbiosis and rhizobia mechanisms to induce drought tolerance in legumes. The search for information was conducted from August to December 2020, using key terms. The drought effect on the nodulation and atmospheric nitrogen fixation process is made known, as well as the rhizobia ability to synthesize exopolysaccharides, enzymes, phytohormones, siderophores, osmolytes and solubilize phosphates as induction mechanisms to mitigate drought stress in legumes. This review will serve to propose future research using rhizobia to mitigate the drought effect on the legumes cultivation in environments such as the Andean mountains.

A novel energy efficient path for nitrogen fixation using a non-thermal arc

The studied process offers high NO selectivity with low energy consumption, which is much lower than the previously reported value of plasma-assisted atmospheric nitrogen fixation and is close to that of the Haber–Bosch process.

Analysis of the Interaction between Pisum sativum L. and Rhizobium laguerreae Strains Nodulating This Legume in Northwest Spain

Pisum sativum L. (pea) is one of the most cultivated grain legumes in European countries due to the high protein content of its seeds. Nevertheless, the rhizobial microsymbionts of this legume have been scarcely studied in these countries. In this work, we analyzed the rhizobial strains nodulating the pea in a region from Northwestern Spain, where this legume is widely cultivated. The isolated strains were genetically diverse, and the phylogenetic analysis of core and symbiotic genes showed that these strains belong to different clusters related to R. laguerreae sv. viciae. Representative strains of these clusters were able to produce cellulose and cellulases, which are two key molecules in the legume infection process. They formed biofilms and produced acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs), which are involved in the quorum sensing regulation process. They also exhibited several plant growth promotion mechanisms, including phosphate solubilization, siderophore, and indole acetic acid production and symbiotic atmospheric nitrogen fixation. All strains showed high symbiotic efficiency on pea plants, indicating that strains of R. laguerreae sv. viciae are promising candidates for the biofertilization of this legume worldwide.

BIOFERTILIZATION WITH CHLOROPHYTA AND CYANOPHYTA: AN ALTERNATIVE FOR ORGANIC FOOD PRODUCTION

Chlorophyta and Cyanophyta are photosynthetic organisms characterized by their biochemical plasticity, which has allowed them to develop in different environments and have a faster growth rate than plants. Depending on the species and environmental conditions, these organisms can produce nitrogenous enzymes, for atmospheric nitrogen fixation; phosphatases, that solubilize phosphorus; phytohormones, that promote plant growth; and hygroscopic polysaccharides, that prevent erosion and improve soil characteristics. In this sense, the aim of this review was to analyze the available information on the use of Chlorophyta and Cyanophyta as biofertilizers and their potential application in organic food production. Multiple studies and researches were found demonstrating the advantages of these microorganisms when being used to improve plants productivity, and also at the same time, leading to sustainable agriculture that is respectful to the environment. However, their high production cost has become a limiting factor for their commercialization.

Artificial, Photoinduced Activation of Nitrogenase Using Directed and Mediated Electron Transfer Processes

Nitrogenase, a bacteria-based enzyme, is the sole enzyme able to generate ammonia by atmospheric nitrogen fixation. Thus, improved understanding of its mechanism and developing methods to artificially activate it may contribute greatly to basic research, as well as to the design of future artificial systems. Here, we present methods to artificially activate nitrogenase using photoinduced reactions. Two nitrogenase variants originating from Azotobecotor vinelinii were examined using photoactivated CdS nanoparticles (NPs) capped with thioglycolic acid (TGA) or 2-mercaptoethanol (ME) ligands. The effect of methyl viologen (MV) as a redox mediator of hydrogen and ammonia generation was tested and analyzed. We further determined the NPs conductive band edges and their effect on nitrogenase photo-activation. The nano-bio hybrid systems comprising CdS NPs and nitrogenase were further imaged by transmission electron microscopy, confirming their formation for the first time. Our results show that the ME-capped CdS NPs–nitrogenase enzyme biohybrid system with added MV as redox mediator, leads to a five-fold increase in the production of ammonia compared with the non-mediated biohybrid system.

Artificial, Photoinduced Activation of Nitrogenase Using Directed and Mediated Electron Transfer Processes

Nitrogenase, a bacteria-based enzyme, is the sole enzyme able to generate ammonia by atmospheric nitrogen fixation. Thus, improved understanding of its mechanism and developing methods to artificially activate it may contribute greatly to basic research, as well as to the design of future artificial systems. Here, we present methods to artificially activate nitrogenase using photoinduced reactions. Two nitrogenase variants originating from Azotobecotor vinelinii were examined using photoactivated CdS nanoparticles (NPs) capped with thioglycolic acid (TGA) or 2-mercaptoethanol (ME) ligands. The effect of methyl viologen (MV) as a redox mediator of hydrogen and ammonia generation was tested and analyzed. We further determined the NPs conductive band edges and their effect on nitrogenase photo-activation. The nano-bio hybrid systems comprising CdS NPs and nitrogenase were further imaged by transmission electron microscopy, confirming their formation for the first time. Our results show that the ME-capped CdS NPs–nitrogenase enzyme biohybrid system with added MV as redox mediator, leads to a five-fold increase in the production of ammonia compared with the non-mediated biohybrid system.