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The Rhizobium–Plant Symbiosis: State of the Art

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Plant Microbe Symbiosis

Abstract

Nitrogen is a vital element necessary for all living organisms (plants, microbes, and animals) for the production of nucleic acids, proteins, and other biomolecules in which nitrogen is needed. Nitrogen is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere of planet Earth, almost 79%. Even in its highest availability, living organisms cannot utilize this gaseous form, unless and until it is in fixed form, which is the reduced form, where it combines with hydrogen and forms ammonia. Photosynthetic plants use this fixed nitrogen to make organic matter, and the phytoproteins that are produced enter into the food chain. On death or during decomposition, microorganisms catabolize the proteins present in the body of dead organisms, fecal wastes, and other organic matter, releasing ammonium ions and forming the primary mechanism of the nitrogen cycle. Microbes exist everywhere, in soil, air, water, and even in extreme conditions, and they also need nutrients for their survival. Of all types of bacteria, some form the complex association known as symbiosis with other living organisms, which can be commensalism, parasitism, mutualism, predation, amensalism, or competition, proto-cooperation between bacteria and other organisms. Bacteria from the family Rhizobiaceae survive even nitrogen-limiting condition by symbiotic association with plants of the leguminous family. This chapter discusses the whole mechanism involved in the symbiotic association between rhizobia and legumes.

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Author notes

  1. Kanchan Vishwakarma

    Present address: Amity Institute of Microbial Technology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, Periyar Maniammi Institute of Science and Technology, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India

    Nitin Kumar & Hasmitha Kuppala

  2. Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Priyanshi Srivastava, Sanjiv Kumar Maheshwari & Siddharth Vats

  3. Department of Biotechnology, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Kanchan Vishwakarma

  4. University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Haryana, India

    Rajesh Kumar

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  1. Nitin Kumar
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Amity Institute of Microbial Technology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Ajit Varma

  2. Amity Institute of Microbial Technology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Swati Tripathi

  3. Department of Botany, Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Motihari, Bihar, India

    Ram Prasad

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Kumar, N. et al. (2020). The Rhizobium–Plant Symbiosis: State of the Art. In: Varma, A., Tripathi, S., Prasad, R. (eds) Plant Microbe Symbiosis. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36248-5_1

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