Ancient Relatives of Modern Maize From the Center of Maize Domestication and Diversification Host Endophytic Bacteria That Confer Tolerance to Nitrogen Starvation.

ABSTRACT: Plants can adapt to their surroundings by hosting beneficial bacteria that confer a selective advantage in stressful conditions. Endophytes are a class of beneficial bacteria that exist within the internal spaces of plants and many species can improve plant nitrogen use efficiency. Nitrogen is an essential plant macronutrient, and is often a limiting factor to plant growth, especially in cereal crops such as maize. Every year farmers apply over 100 million metric tonnes of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer to meet the growing demand for stable food crops. Breeding efforts in maize over the past several decades has focused heavily on yield in response to nitrogen inputs, and so may have selected against adaptations that allow plants to survive in nitrogen stressed conditions. Data suggests that

SUBMITTER: Dumigan CR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8485183 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature