A study conducted by
researchers from the University of Bonn in Germany and Southwest
University in China sheds light on an unusual interdependence.
They found that maize can attract special soil
bacteria that, in turn, help the plants to grow better. The
results could also lead to breeding new varieties that use less
fertilizer and therefore have less impact on the environment.
The researchers studied
maize varieties that differ significantly in their yields. They
came across an enzyme, flavone synthase 2 in the high-yield inbred
line 787. Led by Dr. Peng Yu of the Institute of Crop Science and
Resource Conservation (INRES) at the University of Bonn, they
found large amounts of the enzyme in the plant's roots. "It uses
this enzyme to make certain molecules from the flavonoid group and
releases them into the soil," he explained.
Flavonoids give flowers
and fruits their color. In the soil, however, they perform a
different function by ensuring that very specific bacteria
accumulate around the roots. These microbes cause the formation of
lateral roots. "This allows the maize plant to absorb more nitrogen from
the environment," explains Prof. Dr. Frank Hochholdinger of the
Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES). "This
means the plant grows faster, especially when nitrogen supplies
are scarce."
To show how well it
works, the researchers used the LH93 maize variety, which normally
produces rather puny plants. When they planted LH93 on the soil
where the high-performance line 787 was previously planted, LH93
grew significantly better. The effect disappeared when the
botanists sterilized the soil before repotting. This shows that
the enriched bacteria are indeed responsible for turbo growth
because they were killed during sterilization.
Bacteria
help plants grow better â?? Universit?¤t Bonn (uni-bonn.de)