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Bacteria improve plant growth and enrich the soil

12.02.2022

Cover crop plants, clover, grown in soils similar to those of Mars, have shown significant growth in the process of infection with symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria. A researcher from the University of Colorado (USA) Franklin Harris, together with colleagues, presented the results of the study in the publication PLOS ONE.

As the Earth's population grows, researchers are exploring the possibility of farming Martian soil, or "regolith." Regolith lacks some key nutrients, including certain nitrogen-containing molecules that plants need to live. Therefore, agriculture on Mars will require a strategy to increase the amount of these nitrogen compounds in the regolith.

The scientists suggest that the bacteria could play a cost-effective role in increasing the fertility of Martian soils. On Earth, soil bacteria help convert or "fix" atmospheric nitrogen into molecules that plants need. Some of these microbes have a symbiotic relationship with crops, in which they fix nitrogen in nodules found on plant roots.

In order to study the possible role of symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in astro-agriculture, the researchers grew clover in artificial regolith, which is very similar to Martian. They infected some plants with the microbe Sinorhizobium meliloti, which is commonly found in clover root nodules on Earth. In previous studies, scientists have shown that clover can be grown in regolith, but inoculation with nitrogen fixers has not been studied.

The researchers found that clover inoculated with Sinorhizobium meliloti had 75% more root and shoot growth than normal clover. However, the regolith surrounding the inoculated plants did not show signs of elevated levels of NH4 (an important nitrogen-containing molecule for plants), compared to the regolith in which uninoculated clover grew.

This study suggests that the symbiotic microbes stimulated plant growth but did not lead to excess production of nitrogen compounds that could hypothetically be used by other crops growing nearby. The researchers also grew some clover in potting soil and noted some differences in symbiotic relationships compared to plants grown in regolith.

According to the results of scientific work, scientists have suggested the possibility that the symbiosis between plants and nitrogen-fixing bacteria can help agriculture on Mars.

"This study demonstrates that the nodule-forming bacteria Sinorhizobium meliloti can create nodules in Martian regolith, significantly enhancing the growth of clover (Melilotus officinalis) in greenhouse conditions. This work expands our understanding of how plant-microbial interactions will aid terraforming efforts." regolith on Mars," researchers at Colorado State University said.

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