Evaluation of Rhizobial Natural Population

05/04/2018

The team of the National Institute of Agrarian and Veterinary Research (INIAV) has developed an evaluation of the natural rhizobial population of the soil in Montado of Q. suber and Q. rotondifolia in the pilot areas of the LIFE Montado-Adapt project.

In the context of climate change, rhizobial activity in the soil has been analyzed, as well as the ability of rhizobia to nodulate legumes and their contribution to increase the biological nitrogen fixation by plants; and in particular by trees, increasing the fertility of soils and contributing, in a decisive way, to the ecological and economic sustainability of the ecosystem of the Montado/Dehesa.

Complementarily, autochthonous bacteria from the pilot areas are being characterized as good nitrogen fixers and as promoters of growth in other plant in pasture bioinoculants and is predicted to be used also as fungus antagonists of phytopathogens.