Summary
Inoculated and non-inoculated seedlings of Zea mays were grown in agricultural soils under aseptic and non-sterile conditions. Acetylene reduction activity and microbial counts were determined after 7 and 30 days of growth. Irrespective of the soil type Azotobacter spp. were commonly isolated under maize cultivation. Inoculation of agricultural soils with a suspension of A. chroococcum led to an increase in Azotobacter numbers, although this effect diminished with time. Nitrogenase activity was detected on maize roots and increased in response to the inoculation with A. chroococcum, showing that this associative growth could be of primary importance for the plant. The results of assays for acetylene reduction activity indicated that the nitrogenase activity was associated only with the root systems.
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Martinez Toledo, M.V., Gonzalez-Lopez, J., de la Rubia, T. et al. Effect of inoculation with Azotobacter chroococcum on nitrogenase activity of Zea mays roots grown in agricultural soils under aseptic and non-sterile conditions. Biol Fert Soils 6, 170–173 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00257669
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00257669