Unelongated Stems are an Active Nitrogen-Fixing Site in Rice Stems Supported by Both Sugar and Methane Under Low Nitrogen Conditions.

ABSTRACT: Enhancing nitrogen (N) fixation in rice plants can reduce N fertilizer application and contribute to sustainable rice production, particularly under low-N conditions. However, detailed microbial and metabolic characterization of N fixation in rice stems, unlike in the well-studied roots, has not been investigated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the active N-fixing sites, their diazotroph communities, and the usability of possible carbon sources in stems compared with roots. The N-fixing activity and copy number of the nitrogenase gene in the rice stem were high in the outer part of the unelongated stem (basal node), especially in the epidermis. N fixation, estimated using the acetylene reduction assay, was also higher in the leaf sheath and root than in the inner part of

SUBMITTER: Okamoto T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11757848 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature