The world population is predicted to be more than 9.7 billion by 2050, and we need to grow enough food to feed all of us. Production of crops requires nitrogen input to the soil, and the demand for fertilizers is steadily increasing.

The soil bacteria known as rhizobia, could be a possible source to nitrogen. The same bacteria could also reduce the emission of certain green house gasses. 

Bacteria instead of chemicals
Rhizobia have the capacity to fix nitrogen (N2) from the atmosphere. These bacteria live either freely in the soil or in beneficial association with leguminous plants, including important crops such as peas, beans and soybeans.

The symbiosis is a fine-tuned interaction where the rhizobia convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia inside special structures known as root nodules.

To do so, the bacteria use a specific enzyme called nitrogenase that is not found in plants or animals. The ammonia is in turn converted to plant proteins. Thus, by fixing atmospheric nitrogen, the rhizobia reduce the need to use chemical fertilizers for crop production and will at the same time increase the nutritional value of important staple crops.

During the last decades there has been growing interest from commercial companies in developing fertilizers containing rhizobia.

The plan is to boost crops instead of, or as a complement to, using chemical fertilizers. These efforts have resulted in several products that are available on the market. Yet, these are only compatible with a few legumes. Therefore, there is still a need for more product development as well as basic research to obtain better rhizobial inocula.