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The nitrogen-fixing clade consists of four orders of flowering plants: Cucurbitales, Fabales, Fagales and Rosales. [a] This subgroup of the rosids encompasses 28 families of trees, shrubs, vines and herbaceous perennials and annuals. The roots of many of the species host bacteria that fix nitrogen into compounds the plants can use. [4] [5]
Soybeans are a legume; bacteria nodules on the roots of legumes turn atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia through a process called nitrogen "fixing", enriching the soil. This alone made soybeans useful in crop rotation , but soybeans were known to be high in protein and vegetable oil as well.
Its nitrogen-fixing ability (which increases soil nitrogen) and its use as an animal feed greatly improve agricultural efficiency. [33] [34] Alfalfa can be sown in spring or fall, and does best on well-drained soils with a neutral pH of 6.8–7.5. [35] [36] Alfalfa requires sustained levels of potassium and phosphorus to grow well. [37]
Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae – with taxa such as clover, soybeans, alfalfa, lupins, peanuts, and rooibos.They contain symbiotic bacteria called Rhizobia within nodules in their root systems, producing nitrogen compounds that help the plant to grow and compete with other plants.
Rhizobium is a genus of Gram-negative soil bacteria that fix nitrogen. Rhizobium species form an endosymbiotic nitrogen-fixing association with roots of (primarily) legumes and other flowering plants. The bacteria colonize plant cells to form root nodules, where they convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia using the enzyme nitrogenase.
Centrosema pubescens, common name centro or butterfly pea, is a legume in the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae, and tribe Phaseolae. It is native to Central and South America and cultivated in other tropical areas as a forage for livestock. [3] [4]
As well as an important source of food for humans in poor, arid regions, the crop can also be used as feed for livestock. [31] Its nitrogen-fixing ability means that as well as functioning as a sole crop, the cowpea can be effectively intercropped with sorghum, millet, maize, cassava, or cotton. [32]
Nitrogen is a vital nutrient to plants and gaseous nitrogen (N 2) is not available to them due to the high energy required to break the triple bonds between the two atoms. [4] Rhizobacteria, through nitrogen fixation, are able to convert gaseous nitrogen (N 2 ) to ammonia (NH 3 ) making it an available nutrient to the host plant which can ...