Bacteria Help Plants Grow Better
Published:11 Apr.2021 Source:University of Bonn
Every third-grader knows that plants absorb nutrients from the soil through their roots. The fact that they also release substances into the soil is probably less well known. And this seems to make the lives of plants a lot easier.
That is at least the conclusion of the current study. The participating researchers studied several maize varieties that differ significantly in their yield. In their search for the cause, they came across an enzyme, flavone synthase 2. "The high-yield inbred line 787 we studied contains large amounts of this enzyme in its roots," explains Dr. Peng Yu of the Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES) at the University of Bonn. "It uses this enzyme to make certain molecules from the flavonoid group and releases them into the soil."