Microbe Promotes Plant Growth

Introduction

Klebsiella pneumoniae, a microbe that takes in nitrogen from the air and fixes to the plant, has been discovered to promote plant growth. Chiba Institute of Technology has discovered it and developed a new technology that could help make deserts green and also helps replace chemical fertilizers, which have been blamed for pollution. In a series of experiments, a research team led by Professor Tatsuaki Yamaguchi in the department of industrial chemistry and Yasuyuki Takiguchi, associate professor raised rice sprouts in a test tube for two weeks.

When 100 ppm of a polysaccharide that helps the microbe to multiply and Klebsiella pneumonia were applied to the roots, it was discovered that rice fixed about six times more nitrogen than a control sample. The amount of chlorophyll was 10 to 15 times the usual figure and the height was two to four times of the normal. The researchers also found that combining Klebsiella Pneumoniae with polysaccharide was more effective than using them separately. The enzyme, which the microbe uses to fix nitrogen, is sensitive to oxygen. But when combined with Polysaccharide, the enzyme is protected against oxygen, increasing its ability to fix nitrogen, according to the researchers. Legumes, such as peas and beans, have a symbiotic relationship with root nodule bacteria that can fix nitrogen and grow without nitrogenous fertilizer. However, other agricultural products including rice lack a symbiotic relationship with such bacteria.

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