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Scientists identify corn nitrogen fix

Eric Hamilton University of Wisconsin-Madison
Sep 17, 2018
Sep 17, 2018

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Dripping gel from a corn plant found in the Sierra Mixe region of Oaxaca in southern Mexico harbors bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form usable by the plant.

University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Eric Hamilton University of Wisconsin-Madison

A public-private collaboration of researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the University of California-Davis and Mars Inc., have identified varieties of tropical corn from Oaxaca, Mexico, that can acquire a significant amount of the nitrogen they need from the air by cooperating with bacteria.

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