Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria That Can Colonize Most Plants Discovered

Posted by Unknown on Monday July 29, 2013 @01:55PM 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.

2 of 187 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

so we're obsolete by drwho · 2013-07-29 13:58 · Score: 4, Funny

Animals are now obsolete. The plants can kill us off now, watch our for your cucumbers and geraniums.
Re:Quick! by dbIII · 2013-07-29 18:05 · 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?