SOYBEAN NODULATION AND NITROGEN FIXATION - Agricultural Research Updates - page 103

Chapter 4
S OYBEAN N ODULATION
AND N ITROGEN F IXATION
Brett J. Ferguson * and Arief Indrasumunar †
Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Legume
Research, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia, 4072
A BSTRACT
Soybean is one of the world's most agriculturally significant crops
and is commercially grown for food and biofuel. As a legume, soybean
can enter into a symbiotic relationship with specific soil bacteria called
rhizobia. The successful establishment of this relationship results in the
formation of a novel root organ called the nodule. The rhizobia become
housed within the nodule and convert atmospheric dinitrogen gas into
forms of nitrogen the plant can use. This is achieved via a process called
nitrogen-fixation. It is highly significant for the legume as nitrogen is
critical for plant growth and development. Thus, this symbiosis gives
legumes a significant competitive advantage over non-legume plants that
cannot acquire nitrogen in this way. Here, we describe soybean
nodulation and nitrogen fixation in detail and report on recent advances in
these fields.
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