Relationship between nitrogen fixation and numbers of cyanobionts and heterocysts in fifteen Azolla strains

The relationship between nitrogen fixation and the numbers of cyanobionts and heterocysts in the mature leaves of fifteen Azolla strains from five species was examined. The nitrogenase (acetylene reduction) activity per leaf and the numbers of cyanobionts and heterocysts in the mature region varied depending on the Azolla strains. The numbers of cyanobionts and heterocysts, particularly the number of heterocysts, were closely correlated with the nitrogenase activity per leaf. However, the nitrogenase activity per leaf was not correlated with the nitrogenase activity per heterocyst. The results indicate that the variation in the nitrogenase activity of the leaves among Azolla strains mainly resulted from the variation in the number of heterocysts and not from the variation in the nitrogenase activity per heterocyst.     

Effects of cyanobacteria strains selected for their bioconditioning and biofertilization potential on maize dry matter and soil nitrogen status in a South African soil

Abstract

Some cyanobacteria strains have biofertilization and/or bioconditioning effects in soils as a result of their ability to fix dinitrogen or produce exocellular polysaccharides. The objective of the present study was to screen indigenous cyanobacteria strains with the potential to improve the N fertility and structural stability of degraded soils, and evaluate their ameliorative effectiveness in semiarid soils of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Soils from Guquka, Hertzog and Qunu villages, and Fort Cox College were used in the screening study. The results showed that only three cyanobacteria strains (3g, 3v and 7e) out of 97 isolated strains were heterocystous, with appreciable nitrogenase activity and the ability to produce exocellular polysaccharides. Nostoc strains 3g and 3v had a greater ability to produce exocellular polysaccharides, but low potential to fix dinitrogen (4.7 and 1.3?nmol C₂H₄?μg^?1?chl?h^?1, respectively). Strain 7e had the greatest ability to fix dinitrogen (16.1?nmol C₂H₄?μg^?1?chl?h^?1), but produced fewer exocellular polysaccharides. The ability of strains 3g and 7e to influence maize dry matter (DM) and soil C and N contents was tested in a nitrogen-poor soil with Nostoc strain 9v as a reference strain. Potted soils with and without growing maize plants were inoculated with the different cyanobacteria strains in a glasshouse at a rate of 6?g?m^?2 soon after maize emergence. Harvesting and soil sampling were done 6?weeks after inoculation. Inoculation with strains 3g and 7e increased maize DM and N uptake significantly, on par with the reference strain. These increases were consistent with increases in nitrate-N observed at harvest time in inoculated cropped and non-cropped soils. Strain 7e resulted in greater increases in soil nitrate-N, tissue N and uptake than strain 3g, perhaps because of its greater ability to fix dinitrogen. Cropping with maize reduced soil total C and N, possibly owing to its negative effects on cyanobacteria establishment. These results suggest that indigenous cyanobacteria strains screened for greater N₂-fixing ability have the potential to improve the productivity of N-poor soils in semiarid regions in South Africa.