Nitrogen Fixation: Fundamentals and Applications

Download or read book Nitrogen Fixation: Fundamentals and Applications written by Igor A. Tikhonovich and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 812 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nitrogen fixation research is presented as a rapidly developing, synergistic area of modern science, using the methods of, and accumulating data from, many fundamental branches of biology and chemistry. These include catalytic mechanisms, protein structure and function, molecular organization of genes and the regulation of their activities, biochemistry of plants and microorganisms, the signalling and surface interactions between organisms, microbial taxonomy and evolution, formal and population genetics, and ecology. The relationships between biological nitrogen fixation research and different branches of applied biology are addressed and analyzed, such as: the monitoring of genetically engineered microorganisms, selection of plant-associated microbes, plant breeding, increasing the protein content of crops, providing ecologically safe food production, and diminishing the chemical pollution of the environment. Immediate impacts and long-term prospects for nitrogen fixation research are presented: both fundamentals and applications.