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Seed treatments can colonize plant roots and send out filaments into the surrounding soil. These filaments form a bridge that connects the plant roots with large areas of soil (up to 200 times larger
than the root zone) and act as a "pipeline" to funnel nutrients to the plant. In return, the plant discharges compounds, through its roots, to stimulate fungal growth.
The efficacy of the fungi is also enhanced by soil microbes such as bacillus sp. These bacteria, many of which are aerobic, affect root colonization and function by producing vitamins, hormones, and other compounds that promote fungal growth.
Nitrogen fixing bacteria
living in nodules on the roots of legumes, can change atmospheric
nitrogen into nitrogen compounds useful to themselves and other plants.
These bacteria also change the atmospheric nitrogen into proteins in the
roots of alfalfa, beans, clover, kudzu, lespedeza, peas, peanuts,
soybeans, winter (hairy) vetch and other leguminous plants. Farmers for
centuries have rotated their crops to take advantage of this increased
soil fertility produced by legumes. |
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