Rhizobium
- noun
- /raɪˈzoʊbiəm/
- Specialized
- A nitrogen-fixing legume like beans and peas, alfalfa normally forms a symbiotic relationship with Rhizobium meliloti, a bacterium that lives in the soil.
You see, legumes actually have nitrogen fixing bacteria known as rhizobium, and Rhizobium will actually attach to the roots.
- You see, legumes actually have nitrogen fixing bacteria known as rhizobium, and Rhizobium will actually attach to the roots.
Examples
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In agricultural practices, farmers often inoculate soil with Rhizobium to enhance nitrogen levels for crops.
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So if you have AB or C, let's use a legume and you have AB or C rhizobium bacteria.
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You see, legumes actually have nitrogen fixing bacteria known as rhizobium, and Rhizobium will actually attach to the roots.
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Rhizobium converts nitrogen gas, which makes up about 80 percent of the atmosphere, into nitrogen fertilizer that the alfalfa then converts into plant proteins.
Academic text (1997) -
"A bacterium called Rhizobium forms nodules on the roots of the alfalfa, and it converts nitrogen gas in the soil into a form of nitrogen that the plant can use," says Schuman.
Academic text (2003) -
Leguminous plants rely on Rhizobium bacteria, which live in their root nodules to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere.
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The symbiotic relationship between legumes and Rhizobium enables the plants to convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Rhizobium = rhizo + bium
The name consists of scientific combining forms ('rhizo-' meaning 'root' and a life-related element '-bium'), which are recognizable to those with biological knowledge but not fully transparent to an average B1 learner.
Etymology
Rhizobium comes from the Greek parts rhizo- meaning 'root' and -bium from bios meaning 'life'. So Rhizobium basically means 'root-living', which helps you remember these bacteria live in plant roots and help change nitrogen from the air into a form plants can use.