Sequence analysis of the rpoN (2)- fixA intergenic region in the genome of Rhizobium etli CNPAF512 has uncovered three genes involved in nitrogen fixation, namely nifU, nifS and nifW. These genes are preceded by an ORF that is highly conserved among nitrogen-fixing bacteria. It encodes a putative gene product of 105 amino acids, belonging to the HesB-like protein family. A phylogenetic analysis of members of the HesB-like protein family showed that the R. etli HesB-like protein clusters with polypeptides encoded by ORFs situated upstream of the nifUS nitrogen fixation regions in the genomes of other diazotrophs. The R. etli ORF that encodes the HesB-like protein was designated iscN. iscN is co-transcribed with nifU and nifS, and is preferentially expressed under free-living microaerobic conditions and in bacteroids. Expression is regulated by the alternative sigma factor RpoN and the enchancer-binding protein NifA. A R. etli iscN mutant displays a reduction in nitrogen fixation capacity of 90% compared to the wild-type strain. This Nif(-) phenotype could be complemented by the introduction of intact copies of R. etli iscN.
The soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is a crop mainly grown under rain fed conditions although irrigation is increasingly being used. Water deficiency is the main factor limiting seed production. The symbiosis process is also negatively affected by water stress. The isoflavone genistein have been recognized as a powerful inducer of Nod factors production by Bradyrhizobium and its addition to inocula has been shown to increase nodule number and promote soybean nitrogen (N) fixation at low temperatures. This study looks for answers about the possible role of genistein in countering the stress on nodulation produced by water deficit in soybeans. Bradyrhizobium japonicum SEMIA 5079 was grown in culture media induced or not induced with genistein. Inocula were applied to plants growing at different moisture levels. The effect of the treatments on nodulation and N content was evaluated.An improved response to drought stress was observed when the bacteria were grown in presence of genistein as a Nod factors inducer. Nodulation values under moisture stress differed from 8.9 nodules/plant with genistein at 10 micro M to 1.8 nodules/plant when no inducer was used. Genistein reduced the negative effect on nodulation caused by water deficiency.
There is growing interest in using plant-beneficial microorganisms to partially replace chemicals and help reduce the environmental impact of agriculture. Formulated microbial products or inoculants for agriculture contain single strains or a consortium of live microbes, well characterized and biosafe, which can contribute to the growth, health, and development of a plant host. This concept conforms to the definition of probiotics. However, some plant-growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) have been considered a category of biostimulants since some years ago, despite the traditional concept of biostimulants involves substances or materials with no fertilizer value, which in minute amounts promote plant growth. The inclusion of PGPMs together with substances has also involved a significant distortion of the classical concept of biostimulants. Regulations such as the recent EU Fertilizing Products Regulation (EU No. 2019/1009) have incorporated the new definition of biostimulants and included microbials as a subcategory of biostimulants. We discuss that this regulation and the forthcoming European harmonized standards disregard some key features of microbial products, such as the live, true biological nature of their active principles. The factors that determine the complex functional compatibility of plant–microbe associations, and important biosafety issues that concern the intentional release of microbes into the environment, seem to be also ignored. We anticipate that by equating microbials to chemicals, the biological nature of microbial products and their specific requirements will be underestimated, with pernicious consequences for their future development and success.
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