How do scientists perform intercellular colonization of non-leguminous plants by rhizobia? How do they make the bacteria enter the said plants?

Answer 1

Hi Lara C.,

Since plant cells generally have cell walls, it's a stealth job. Scientists don't "force" the process, they just inoculate the seeds with the rhyzobia and sprout and grow them. The rhyzobia tickle the plants into letting them infiltrate. For instance, see: https : / / aem .asm .org / content / aem / 63 / 5 / 2038 . full . pdf .(Copy the link to your browser, remove all spaces (required to get the reference into Wyzant), and let 'er rip. Remember that not all colonization is detrimental; in some species pairs, the plants grow better; in others, neutral or detrimental effects result. Sometimes a fungal association is required to even sprout seeds, e.g. in ground orchids (Orchis maculata), a specific fungal species nurses the seeds to sprout, they don't have any endosperm energy supplies of their own!

-- Cheers, --Mr. d.