Handbook for Rhizobia: Methods in Legume-Rhizobium Technology

Book Description
Rhizobia are bacteria which inhabit the roots of plants in the pea family and "fix" atmospheric nitrogen for plant growth. They are thus of enormous economic importance internationally and the subject of intense research interest. Handbook for Rhizobia is a monumental book of practical methods for working with these bacteria and their plant hosts. Topics include the general microbiological properties of rhizobia and their identification, their potential as symbionts, methods for inoculating rhizobia onto plants, and molecular genetics methods for Rhizobium in the laboratory. The book will be invaluable to Rhizobium scientists, soil microbiologists, field and laboratory researchers at agricultural research centers, agronomists, and crop scientists.


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Rhizobia are soil bacteria which form nodules on the roots of leguminous plants. During their symbiotic association in the nodules, they bring about biological nitrogen fixation. The interaction between rhizobia and plants is of enormous agricultural significance and has been studied intensively at the physiological, cellular, and molecular levels. In the process, rhizobia have become among the best studied of soil bacteria, and techniques for their analysis have been adopted in laboratories around the world. This book is a compendium of methods for working with rhizobia and their interactions with the host legume. Handbook for Rhizobia includes dozens of detailed protocols on topics ranging from isolation and maintenance of rhizobia to contemporary molecular biology methods, and is divided into five sections: microbiology of rhizobia, including isolation, characterization, and enumeration; strain identification by serological methods, antibiotic markers, and rhizobiophages; evaluating the nitrogen-fixing potential of rhizobia under greenhouse and field conditions; mass culture techniques for rhizobia, including fermentor-based culture and the production of carrier-based inoculants; and molecular biology methods for rhizobia. The authors have extensive research and teaching experience, and have tested the protocols included in this book in courses taught worldwide through the Nitrogen Fixation in Tropical Agricultural Legumes program. The Handbook for Rhizobia will be invaluable for scientists working in soil microbiology, nitrogen fixation, and most aspects of the biology of rhizobia. These methods will also be useful in teaching bacteriology, soil ecology, and agronomy.


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