Azospirillum Brasilense

The Impact of Azospirillum brasilense on Crop Production

The organism Azospirillum brasilense is one of the best-studied bacteria in the field of agriculture and basic agricultural practices that are of great importance in promoting plant growth. The bacterium Azospirillum brasilense can secrete specific hormones that enable the process of nitrogen fixation (Dobbelaere et al. 157). This bacterium is used as an inoculant for crop production and agricultural yield enhancement in the Saskatchewan region of Canada. The organism belongs to the phylum Proteobacteria and the subclass Alphaproteobacteria. The ability to fix nitrogen and the size and shape of Azospirillum brazil are the main distinguishing features of the organism from other members of the diazotrophic group IV. The prairies in Canada are the regions extensively covered by the prairies vegetation. The prairies are grasslands whose roots have optimum influence at the rhizosphere of the soil level. The rhizosphere is a segment into the depth of soil which is specifically influenced by the roots of the covering vegetation, and the microorganisms interact with the roots at this point with all the secretions and excretions from either segment taking a significant influence (Dobbelaere et al. 161). The rhizosphere contains a majority of the Azospirillum brasilense microorganisms, and, hence, they directly impact the soil of the prairies region and have the resultant impact on crop production. Therefore, it is not only imperative to study the impact of nitrogen-fixing bacteria Azospirillum brasilense on farming but also the nitrogen fixation and the unique characteristics of the organism.

The Characteristics and Metabolism of Azospirillum brasilense

The Azosprillium brasilense has a terminal flagellum that defines its mobile capabilities, and the bacterium has a vibroid shape. The flagellum is a very critical anatomical organ for the bacterium as it helps Azosprillium brasilense in attaching to the roots of the crops and the prairies. Several min chromosomes are in the genome of the bacterium, unlike other microbes (Holguin and Bashan 1654). The bacterium secretes the phytohormones that are imperative in crop development. Therefore, the bacterium is imperative to farmers in crop production. Recent research in the Saskatchewan region in Canada had revealed that the bacterium excretes the Indole Acetic Acid biochemical molecules which are equally important in making efficient the nitrogen fixing process in the soil. The metabolism of the organism is majorly altered and is, hence, regulated by phytohormones and then interacted with the roots of the plants. The fixation of the nitrogenase and the assimilation of the ammonia complete the metabolism of the bacterium Azosprillium brasilense (Díaz-Zorita and Fernández-Canigia 8). Nevertheless, the metabolism of the organism and, hence, the nitrogen fixation process occurs optimally under the limited nitrogen conditions where there are microaerobic conditions. Below are the photos of the organism Azosprillium brasilense both under the light and fluorescent microscopes and on the culture media in the culture and sensitivity microbiological laboratory.

The Ecological Role of Azospirillum brasilense in Crop Production

The pathogenesis and the ecological setting of the bacterium Azosprillum brasilense are roots of the plants, crops, cereals, and agricultural lands in the rhizosphere. Even though some researchers have come up with the arguments that the Azosprillum brasilense is free-living in the soil, it has been proved by scholarly content on the other hand that the bacterium thrives well in a better proximity with the roots of the plants (Díaz-Zorita and Fernández-Canigia 10). By accomplishing a two-step process, the first one is attaching and the second one is anchoring on the roots of the crops. Recent research in Saskatchewan Canada has proven that the bacterium uses polysaccharide for anchoring on the hair roots of the plants while engaging the glycoprotein for gaining attachment.

The Importance of Azospirillum brasilense in Agriculture

The ecological and functional role of Azospirillum brasilense in the soil in Saskatchewan is very diverse. The bacterium is a nitrogen-fixing microorganism. It is critical to appreciate that nitrogen is very indispensable for crop production. Therefore, crops, cereals, vegetables, fruits, and other farm plants need nitrogen to thrive well. In the Saskatchewan of the prairies of Canada, the Azospirillum brasilense is highly prevalent (Pereyra et al. 26). The effects of the bacterium have been significantly impactful and highly beneficial to farming in the region. Following the ability of the bacterium to fix nitrogen, farmers in Saskatchewan have quit subsistence farming into cash crop farming, for instance, wheat, vegetables, and fruit production. The crop farming has boosted food production not only locally but also across Canada, and even the surplus production is exported to earn the country foreign exchange. Therefore, the bacterium Azospirillum brasilense ability to fix nitrogen in the soil has directly affected farming positively in the Saskatchewan region in Canada. The reason as to why the bacteria are paramount in Canada, Saskatchewan, in particular on the prairies, is that it is a nitrogen fixing bacteria and, hence, critical facilitators of the increased agricultural production. Furthermore, across the world, researchers have noted that the unique features of Azospirillum brasilense to incorporate nitrogen into the soil at higher rates have significantly improved crop production (Díaz-Zorita and Fernández-Canigia 5).

The Potential Consequences of the Extinction of Azospirillum brasilense

Azospirillum brasilense is a very important organism in Saskatchewan in Canada. If the organism became extinct today, many negative effects would unfold in the region. One is that a lot of scientific researches are going on about the organism not only in Canada but also in other parts of the world. Therefore, when the organism is no more existing, all research programs and scientific exploitations will be paralyzed. As such, a lot of invested human capital and liquid capital will be lost (Pereyra et al. 24). Millions of dollars invested in the projects that are commercially envisioned as founded on the biological capabilities of the bacterium will not function anymore. On the other hand, it is important to appreciate that Azospirillum brasilense is a nitrogen fixing bacteria. The bacterium fixes nitrogen in the soil which is in return utilized by crops. The farming practices in the prairies region in Canada have been rewarding because of the ready availability of fixed nitrogen to crops. Therefore, with the absence of the bacterium, crops will no longer thrive as before, and the production will be low. The impact is that surplus food to export could not be available anymore, and it even could not be enough to feed the whole region independently. Furthermore, hunger could strike because of lack of sufficient food supply. There shall be a need for the government to import more food to complement the poor production that will have become subsistence and no longer cash crop based. The prices of food could go up, and farmers will cease intensive farming. The artificial fertilizer manufacturing companies will be required to increase their delivery to meet the demand for the nitrogen fertilizers. Because of the growing demand for the fertilizers, the supply will be low, and the prices will hike. Animal production could as well become difficult because of lack of animal foodstuff. The crop produced leftovers are used by many farmers to feed their animals for milk and meat commercial purposes. Furthermore, the prairies do well because of the nitrogen-fixing ability of the bacterium. Therefore, the feeds of the animals will be reduced, and prices will go high. The eventual effect is that there shall be a lot of increased scientific research to discover alternative organisms to suffice the needs of Azospirillum brasilense. Therefore, if Azospirillum brasilense became extinct, there would be great losses experienced in the Saskatchewan region, directly in the crop production segment, and then the effects will explode to all the spheres of the economy.

Works Cited

Díaz-Zorita, M., and M.V. Fernández-Canigia (2009). Field Performance of a Liquid Formulation of Azospirillum Brasilense on Dryland Wheat Productivity. European Journal of Soil Biology 45.1: 3–11. Web.

Dobbelaere, S. et al. (1999). Phytostimulatory Effect of Azospirillum Brasilense Wild Type and Mutant Strains Altered in IAA Production on Wheat. Plant and Soil 6.2: 155–164. Web.

Holguin, G., and Y. Bashan (1996). Nitrogen-Fixation by Azospirillum Brasilense CD Is Promoted When Co-Cultured with a Mangrove Rhizosphere Bacterium (Staphylococcus Sp.). Soil Biology and Biochemistry 28.12: 1651–1660. Web.

Pereyra, M. A. et al. (2009). Seedlings Growth Promotion by Azospirillum Brasilense under Normal and Drought Conditions Remains Unaltered in Tebuconazole-Treated Wheat Seeds. European Journal of Soil Biology 45.1: 20–27. Web.