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Biological nitrogen fixation: basic advances and persistent agronomic constraints

  • Chapter
Expanding the Production and Use of Cool Season Food Legumes

Part of the book series: Current Plant Science and Biotechnology in Agriculture ((PSBA,volume 19))

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Abstract

Since the last conference there have been some notable advances in understanding legume nodulation and nitrogen fixation, but many gaps remain. For example,

  1. 1.

    Details of signal exchanges between host and rhizobia have been elucidated for Vicia and Pisum. However, there is some evidence that these may be affected by soil factors and much more work is needed here.

  2. 2.

    There is now a renewed interest in host-rhizobial interactions. Modern molecular methods allow the study of diversity in both partners on a wider scale than was possible earlier.

  3. 3.

    Progress has been made in measurement of N fixation in the field, particularly using 15N methods. These will be assessed.

  4. 4.

    Further studies on environmental factors affecting N fixation have been carried out; with new methodology these should now be more targeted.

  5. 5.

    Interactions between nodulation and mycorrhizas can now be studied in Vicia and Pisum using a series of nod- and myc-mutants.

  6. 6.

    The agronomic constraint of turning N fixed by nodules into N in grain remains, although more is now known about N (as opposed to C) nutrition of pods and seeds.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Dundee, DD1 4HN, Scotland, UK

    A. Stanforth & J. I. Sprent

  2. CSIRO, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, Act, 2601, Australia

    J. Brockwell

  3. ICARDA, P. O. Box 5466, Aleppo, Syria

    D. P. Beck

  4. National Research Center, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt

    H. Moawad

Authors
  1. A. Stanforth
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  2. J. I. Sprent
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  3. J. Brockwell
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  4. D. P. Beck
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  5. H. Moawad
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. USDA-ARS, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA

    F. J. Muehlbauer  & W. J. Kaiser  & 

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Stanforth, A., Sprent, J.I., Brockwell, J., Beck, D.P., Moawad, H. (1994). Biological nitrogen fixation: basic advances and persistent agronomic constraints. In: Muehlbauer, F.J., Kaiser, W.J. (eds) Expanding the Production and Use of Cool Season Food Legumes. Current Plant Science and Biotechnology in Agriculture, vol 19. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0798-3_50

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0798-3_50

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4343-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-0798-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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