Biological nitrogen fixation in tropical crops
Fijación biológica de nitrógeno en cultivos tropicales
- Date
- 1964-1976 · confidence medium
- Place
- Embrapa Agrobiologia, Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Credited to
- Johanna Döbereiner
- People
- 👤 Johanna Döbereiner1924–2000
- Field
- Life & health
What was discovered
Döbereiner discovered nitrogen-fixing bacteria associated with grasses (Azospirillum) and developed inoculants that allowed soybeans to be grown in Brazil without nitrogen fertilisers. It saves billions of dollars a year in fertiliser.
Born in Czechoslovakia and naturalised Brazilian.
What it led to
- the expansion of soybean farming in the Cerrado
- biofertilisers
- the study of endophytic bacteria