Researchers have unveiled a groundbreaking discovery shedding light on the intricate play between legume plants and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Their study details the crucial role played by ...

Legumes like soybeans, alfalfa, peas, beans, peanuts and many more have a remarkable ability: They can partner with soil ...

Most species in the nitrogen-fixing clade form relationships with bacteria in the genus Rhizobium. A few others pair up with Frankia, a genus of bacteria named after Albert Bernhard Frank, one of the ...

While promiscuity among humans is often scorned, symbiotic promiscuity can be a sign of excellent teamwork in other species. Plant growth, especially in legumes, flourishes through mutualistic ...

It is well known that soil microbes affect plant growth. But the extent of these interactions is not well understood. Using Acmispon strigosus (a native California plant with nodules) and a set of ...

Plants need nitrogen to grow, but they can’t just grab it from the air like we do with oxygen. If the soil doesn’t have enough, farmers have to add fertilizers—an expensive and environmentally tricky ...

Scientists have found that competition between strains of beneficial bacteria in the soil degrades the service that the bacteria provide to their hosts. Plants form alliances with microbes in the soil ...

Plants have evolved fascinating partnerships with microbes to capture nitrogen from the air and turn it into a usable form for growth. From legumes hosting bacteria in root nodules to fungi trading ...