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Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria That Can Colonize Most Plants Discovered

Posted by Unknown on from the watch-out-for-miracle-gro-assassins dept.

Zothecula writes "Synthetic crop fertilizers are a huge source of pollution. This is particularly true when they're washed from fields (or leach out of them) and enter our waterways. Unfortunately, most commercial crops need the fertilizer, because it provides the nitrogen that they require to survive. Now, however, a scientist at the University of Nottingham has developed what he claims is an environmentally-friendly process, that allows virtually any type of plant to obtain naturally-occurring nitrogen directly from the atmosphere." The process involves injecting a bacteria that colonizes the plant and fixes atmospheric nitrogen in exchange for a bit of sugar, similar to soybeans. Only this bacteria will readily colonize most any plant.

4 of 187 comments (clear)

  1. so we're obsolete by drwho · · Score: 4, Funny

    Animals are now obsolete. The plants can kill us off now, watch our for your cucumbers and geraniums.

  2. Re:Let me guess... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    GMO, Devil, Evil, Bad, KILLING HUMANITY!!! Organic Only!!!!!!!!

  3. Which planets, exactly? by simonbp · · Score: 3, Funny

    There are only four known objects with nitrogen atmospheres: Earth (already terraformed by microbes), Titan (surface temperature -220 C), Triton and Pluto (surface pressure ~10 microbars). The only two terraforming targets are Mars and (at a stretch) Venus, both of which have almost zero nitrogen in their atmospheres.

    This is either a critical research failure, or hyping up a somewhat boring discovery to a more exciting one, or both.

  4. Re:Quick! by dbIII · · Score: 4, Funny

    We could become overrun with weed type plants that we can't control.

    No problem, we'll just dock the stings and then sit back to watch the free light show in the sky.
    Did it just get dark in here?