Black eyed peas could help eliminate need for fertilizer
Popular legume attracts beneficial nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Date:
January 20, 2022
Source:
University of California - Riverside
Summary:
Black eyed peas' ability to attract beneficial bacteria isn't
diminished by modern farming practices, new research shows. Planting
it in rotation with other crops could help growers avoid the need
for costly, environmentally damaging fertilizers.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Black eyed peas' ability to attract beneficial bacteria isn't diminished
by modern farming practices, new UC Riverside research shows. Planting
it in rotation with other crops could help growers avoid the need for
costly, environmentally damaging fertilizers.


========================================================================== Without enough nitrogen, plants won't grow. The plant family that black
eyed peas belong to, legumes, are unique in their ability to obtain
substantial amounts of it by enticing and protecting nitrogen-fixing
bacteria.

"The ability of legumes to do this caused them immense success as the
third biggest plant family on the planet," said Joel Sachs, UCR professor
of evolution and ecology.

Often times, when people grow crops, they focus on above-ground traits
like disease resistance, yield, and protein content. Only recently have
growers begun to pay closer attention to below-ground traits, like plants' ability to attract soil-enhancing microbes.

UCR plant pathologist Gabriel Ortiz wanted to understand whether black
eyed peas -- a hugely popular food in many parts of the world -- maintain
their ability to attract good bacteria even after being subjected to
modern farming practices. In many cases, plants heavily impacted by
humans do not benefit as much from relationships with bacteria compared
to their wild relatives.

However, Ortiz and his team found that the peas maintained their
natural ability to form beneficial relationships with nitrogen-fixing
bacteria. "In fact, some of the strains in the experiment appear to have
gained more benefit from bacteria than their wild ancestors," Sachs said.

Results from this research have just been published in the journal
Evolution.

The experiments involved 20 different types of black-eyed peas, and
point toward a genetic basis for their symbiotic abilities.

"We can use this information in the future to design better performing
plants," Ortiz said. He and his team focused on black-eyed peas because
they are also drought tolerant, another important trait for Southern
California growers.

To attract the bacteria that fixes nitrogen, rhizobia, black-eyed peas
emit chemicals through their roots. Eventually, the roots form tumor-like nodules that protect the rhizobia and supply them with carbon. In return,
the black eyes peas receive a useful, fixed form of nitrogen.

"When the plant senses it is going to die, it releases the bacteria
into the soil, replenishing it," Ortiz explained. "Growers could
alternate seasons of legumes with other crops, leaving the soil full
of nitrogen-fixing bacteria that reduce the need for fertilizer."
When nitrogen fertilizer is applied faster than plants can use it, the
excess can end up in the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas or washed out
into lakes, rivers and oceans. In waterways, the nitrogen feeds harmful
algae blooms that use up all the oxygen and kill fish.

"To make agriculture more sustainable, one of the things we need to do
is focus on the plant's ability to get services from microbes already in
the soil, rather than trying to get those services by dumping chemicals,"
Sachs said.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
University_of_California_-_Riverside. Original written by Jules
Bernstein. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Gabriel S. Ortiz‐Barbosa, Lorena Torres‐Marti'nez,
Angela
Manci, Sierra Neal, Tarek Soubra, Fizzah Khairi, Jerry Trinh,
Paola Cardenas, Joel L. Sachs. No disruption of rhizobial symbiosis
during early stages of cowpea domestication. Evolution, 2022; DOI:
10.1111/ evo.14424 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220120091144.htm

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