Abstract
The fixation of atmospheric nitrogen by actinomycete-nodulated, woody dicotyledonous plants represents a substantial contribution to the global nitrogen cycle1, contributing especially to forested areas, wetlands, fields and disturbed sites of temperate and tropical regions2. The study of these nitrogen-fixing symbioses has been hampered by difficulties in isolating and culturing the microsymbionts in vitro. Recently, root nodule actinomycetes have been isolated by microdissection techniques and cultured in vitro3,4. We report here the isolation and culture for the first time of the actinomycetes associated with root nodules of Elaeagnus umbellata (Elaeagnaceae) and Alnus viridis ssp. crispa (Betulaceae) (shown in Fig. 1a and b, respectively), using a technique radically different from those used previously. For separating actinomycetes from root nodules, we have used the simple fractionation technique of sucrose-density sedimentation.
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Baker, D., Torrey, J. & Kidd, G. Isolation by sucrose-density fractionation and cultivation in vitro of actinomycetes from nitrogen-fixing root nodules. Nature 281, 76–78 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/281076a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/281076a0
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