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Forced association between higher plant and bacterial cells in vitro

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Abstract

SYMBIOTIC associations with microorganisms enable many plant species to utilise molecular nitrogen1–3. In vitro systems have been developed to study some of these natural associations4–7, and here we have attempted to define an experimental system for investigating the possibility of extending the nitrogen-fixing symbiosis to additional crop species. We used tissue culture techniques to force an association between the free-living nitrogen-fixing bacterium, Azotobacter vinelandii and cells of a carrot, Daucus carota cv. Danver's Half Long. The resulting composite callus proliferates slowly on a defined synthetic medium lacking combined nitrogen. In these conditions carrot cells which have not formed an association with Azotobacter are unable to survive.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824

    P. S. CARLSON

  2. Department of Applied Genetics, John Innes Institute, Colney Lane, Norwich, NOR 7OF, UK

    R. S. CHALEFF

Authors
  1. P. S. CARLSON
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  2. R. S. CHALEFF
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CARLSON, P., CHALEFF, R. Forced association between higher plant and bacterial cells in vitro. Nature 252, 393–395 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/252393a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/252393a0

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