Nitrogen fixation in a landrace of maize is supported by a mucilage-associated diazotrophic microbiota.

ABSTRACT: Plants are associated with a complex microbiota that contributes to nutrient acquisition, plant growth, and plant defense. Nitrogen-fixing microbial associations are efficient and well characterized in legumes but are limited in cereals, including maize. We studied an indigenous landrace of maize grown in nitrogen-depleted soils in the Sierra Mixe region of Oaxaca, Mexico. This landrace is characterized by the extensive development of aerial roots that secrete a carbohydrate-rich mucilage. Analysis of the mucilage microbiota indicated that it was enriched in taxa for which many known species are diazotrophic, was enriched for homologs of genes encoding nitrogenase subunits, and harbored active nitrogenase activity as assessed by acetylene reduction and 15N2 incorporation assays. Field expe

SUBMITTER: Van Deynze A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6080747 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature