Nitrogen Fixation in Agriculture, Forestry, Ecology, And the Environment

by Werner, Dietrich; Newton, William E.

• ISBN13: 9781402035425
• ISBN10: 140203542X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-09-15
• Publisher: Kluwer Academic Pub

Summary

This book is the self-contained fourth volume of a seven-volume comprehensive series on nitrogen fixation. The outstanding aspect of this book is the integration of basic and applied work on biological nitrogen fixation in the fields of agriculture, forestry, and ecology in general. Nowadays, the concept of sustainability, which originated in agriculture and land use, is reaching many other areas of society and industry. Sustainability has a major part to play in the global challenge of continued development of regions, countries, and continents all around the World and biological nitrogen fixation has a key role in this process. This volume begins with chapters specifically addressing crops of major global importance, such as soybeans, rice, and sugar cane. It continues with a second important focus, agroforestry, and describes the use and promise of both legume trees with their rhizobial symbionts and other nitrogen-fixing trees with their actinorhizal colonization. An over-arching theme of all chapters is the interaction of the plants and trees with microbes and this theme allows other aspects of soil microbiology, such as interactions with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and the impact of soil-stress factors on biological nitrogen fixation, to be addressed. Furthermore, a link to basic science occurs through the inclusion of chapters describing the biogeochemically important nitrogen cycle and its key relationships among nitrogen fixation, nitrification, and denitrification. The volume then provides an up-to-date view of the production of microbial inocula, especially those for legume crops. No other available work provides the up-to-date and in-depth coverage of this volume, which is intended to serve as an indispensable reference work for academic, government, and industrial scientists working in the applied areas of agronomy, plant breeding, plant nutrition, ecology, and forestry as well as those in the basic science areas of plant physiology, soil microbiology, and related environmental disciplines. This volume will be an invaluable tool for students entering this challenging area of research and will provide science administrators with ready access to vital relevant information.

Table of Contents

Series Preface	ix
Preface	xiii
List of Contributors	xvii
Chapter 1. Production and Biological Nitrogen Fixation of Tropical Legumes
D. Werner	1	(14)
1. Introduction	1	(1)
2. Phaseolus sp. and Vigna sp. (Beans)	2	(5)
3. Arachis hypogaea (Groundnut, Peanut)	7	(1)
4. Cicer arietinum (Chickpea)	8	(1)
5. Cajanus cajan (Pigeon pea)	9	(1)
6. Mucuna pruriens (Velvet bean) and Other Legumes	10	(2)
Acknowledgements	12	(1)
References	12	(3)
Chapter 2. Nitrogen Fixation by Soybean in North America
S.G. Pueppke	15	(10)
1. Soybean: Pathways to North America and Establishment as a Crop	15	(2)
2. Soybean Production in North America	17	(3)
3. Major Soybean Cropping Systems	20	(1)
4. Biological Nitrogen Fixation by Soybean in North America	20	(1)
5. Perspectives	21	(1)
Acknowledgements	22	(1)
References	22	(3)
Chapter 3. The Importance of Nitrogen Fixation to Soybean Cropping in South America
M. Hungria, J.C. Franchini, R.J. Campo and P.H. Graham	25	(18)
1. Introduction	25	(1)
2. Taxonomy, Origins, and Importance of Soybean	25	(4)
3. Biological Nitrogen Fixation	29	(3)
4. Economic Importance of Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) in South America	32	(2)
5. Crop Management in South America	34	(4)
6. Final Considerations	38	(1)
Acknowledgement	39	(1)
References	39	(4)
Chapter 4. Production, Regional Distribution of Cultivars, and Agricultural Aspects of Soybean in India
S.K. Mahna	43	(24)
1. Introduction and Historical Background	43	(2)
2. All-India Area Coverage, Productivity, and Production of Soybean between 1970-2003	45	(1)
3. All-India State-wise Area Coverage, Productivity, and Production of Soybean	46	(3)
4. Regional Distribution of Soybean Cultivars	49	(10)
5. Regional Agricultural Aspects of Soybean Cultivation	59	(5)
Acknowledgements	64	(1)
References	64	(3)
Chapter 5. Soybean Cultivation and BNF in China
J.E. Ruiz Sainz, J.C. Zhou, D.-N. Rodriguez-Navarro, J.M. Vinardell and J.E. Thomas-Oates	67	(22)
1. Summary	67	(1)
2. Soybean Cultivation in China: Historical Aspects and Current Situation	68	(7)
3. Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria that Nodulate Soybean	75	(6)
4. The Soybean Germplasm Collection in China	81	(1)
5. Soybean in Crop Rotation and in Continuous Cultivation	82	(2)
6. Conclusions	84	(1)
Acknowledgement	85	(1)
References	85	(4)
Chapter 6. Soil Stress Factors Influencing Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation
M.J. Sadowsky	89	(24)
1. Introduction	89	(1)
2. Importance of Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation	89	(1)
3. Symbiotic Interaction of Legumes with Rhizobia	90	(2)
4. Nodulation and Nitrogen-Fixation Genetics in the Rhizobia and Bradyrhizobia	92	(2)
5. Rhizobia in the Soil Environment	94	(1)
6. Stress Factors in the Soil Environment that Influence N2 Fixation	95	(6)
7. Concluding Remarks	101	(1)
References	102	(11)
Chapter 7. Nodulated Legume Trees
J.I. Sprent	113	(30)
1. Introduction	113	(1)
2. Leguminosae	113	(20)
3. Rhizobia that Nodulate Legume Trees	133	(1)
4. Types of Nodule formed on Trees	134	(1)
5. Mycorrhizas and Other Nutrient-Acquisition Systems	135	(1)
6. Measurement of Nitrogen Fixation by Trees	136	(1)
7. Role of Legume Trees in Natural and Managed Systems	137	(2)
References	139	(4)
Chapter 8. Nitrogen Fixing Trees with Actinorhiza in Forestry and Agroforestry
R.O. Russo	143	(30)
1. Introduction	143	(1)
2. General Characteristics of the Actinorhizal Symbiosis	144	(4)
3. Host Botanical Families	148	(1)
4. Nitrogen Fixation in Actinorhizal Trees	149	(4)
5. Mycorrhizal Associations with Actinorhizal Trees	153	(4)
6. Actinorhizal Trees in Agroforestry	157	(1)
7. The Genus Casuarina	158	(1)
8. The Experience of the Central America Fuelwood Project	159	(2)
9. The Case of Alnus acuminata in Tropical Highlands	161	(2)
10. Other Uses of Actinorhizal Trees	163	(1)
11. Concluding Considerations	164	(1)
References	165	(8)
Chapter 9. Molecular Ecology of N2-fixing Microbes Associated with Gramineous Plants: Hidden Activities of Unknown Bacteria
T. Hurek and B. Reinhold-Hurek	173	(26)
1. Introduction	173	(1)
2. The Problem of Identifying Key Diazotrophic Bacteria in Gramineous Plants: The Classical Approach	174	(2)
3. The Significance of Diazotrophic Grass Endophytes	176	(3)
4. The Significance of Culture-Independent Methods	179	(1)
5. The Significance of nifH-Targeted Methods	180	(1)
6. Limitations of nifH-Targeted Methods	181	(2)
7. Many Diazotrophs Defy Cultivation	183	(2)
8. Diazotrophic Grass Endophytes as Key Organisms for BNF in Gramineous Plants	185	(4)
9. Summary and Outlook	189	(2)
References	191	(8)
Chapter 10. Interactions of Arbuscular Mycorrhiza and Nitrogen-Fixing Symbiosis in Sustainable Agriculture
J.M. Barea, D. Werner, C. Azcón-Guilar and R. Azcón	199	(24)
1. Introduction	199	(1)
2. Purpose of Review	200	(1)
3. Nitrogen-Fixing Symbioses	201	(1)
4. Arbuscular Mycorrhiza	202	(3)
5. Interactions between AM Fungi and Rhizobia to Improve Legume Productivity in Agriculture	205	(9)
6. Conclusions	214	(1)
Acknowledgements	215	(1)
References	215	(8)
Chapter 11. Inoculant Preparation, Production and Application
M. Hungria, M.F. Loureiro, I.C. Mendes, R.J. Campo and P.H. Graham	223	(32)
1. Introduction	223	(1)
2. Strain Selection	224	(6)
3. Inoculant Production	230	(7)
4. Inoculant Application	237	(3)
5. Factors Affecting the Success of Inoculation	240	(5)
6. Main Conclusions	245	(1)
Acknowledgements	246	(1)
References	246	(9)
Chapter 12. Nitrifying Bacteria
C. Fiencke, E. Spieck and E. Bock	255	(22)
1. Nitrification as Part of the Nitrogen Cycle	255	(2)
2. Two Physiological Groups of Bacteria Contribute to Nitrification	257	(1)
3. Ecology and Detection of Nitrifying Bacteria	258	(2)
4. Metabolism of Nitrifying Bacteria	260	(10)
References	270	(7)
Chapter 13. The Nitrogen Cycle: Denitrification and its Relationship to N2 Fixation
R.J.M. van Spanning, M.J. Delgado and D.J. Richardson	277	(66)
1. Introduction	277	(2)
2. The Nitrogen Cycle	279	(2)
3. Denitrification	281	(1)
4. Bacterial Respiratory Nitrate Reductases	282	(14)
5. Nitrite Reductases	296	(5)
6. Nitric Oxide Reductases	301	(5)
7. Nitrous Oxide Reductase	306	(1)
8. Linkage of the Denitrification Gene Clusters	307	(3)
9. Bioenergetics of Denitrification	310	(2)
10. Regulation of Transcription of Denitrification Genes	312	(8)
11. Regulation of Denitrification by Environmental Factors	320	(1)
12. Diversity of Denitrification	321	(4)
13. Yeast and Fungal Denitrification	325	(2)
14. Concluding Remarks	327	(1)
Acknowledgements	327	(1)
References	327	(16)
Subject Index	343