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Algae that can fix nitrogen – thanks to a tiny cell structure
A newly discovered ‘organelle’ that converts nitrogen gas into a useful form could pave the way for engineered plants that require less fertilizer.
The discovery of the structure, called a nitroplast, in algae could bolster efforts to genetically engineer plants to convert, or ‘fix’, their own nitrogen, which could boost crop yields and reduce the need for fertilizers. “Crop yields are majorly limited by availability of nitrogen,” says Eva Nowack, who studies symbiotic bacteria at the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf in Germany. “It’s both a pleasure and very impressive to see this work build up to what is certainly a major stepping stone in understanding,” says Jeffrey Elhai, a cell biologist at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Vriginia.
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