Harnessing biological nitrogen fixation in plant leaves

Yong-Guan Zhu; Jingjing Peng; Cai Chen; Chao Xiong; Shule Li; Anhui Ge; Ertao Wang; Werner Liesack

doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2023.05.009

Harnessing biological nitrogen fixation in plant leaves

Trends Plant Sci. 2023 Dec;28(12):1391-1405. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2023.05.009. Epub 2023 Jun 1.

Authors

Yong-Guan Zhu¹, Jingjing Peng², Cai Chen³, Chao Xiong⁴, Shule Li³, Anhui Ge⁵, Ertao Wang⁵, Werner Liesack⁶

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China; Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China. Electronic address: ygzhu@rcees.ac.cn.
² State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China.
⁴ College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
⁵ National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, SIBS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China.
⁶ Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, 35043, Germany.

PMID: 37270352
DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2023.05.009

Abstract

The importance of biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) in securing food production for the growing world population with minimal environmental cost has been increasingly acknowledged. Leaf surfaces are one of the biggest microbial habitats on Earth, harboring diverse free-living N₂-fixers. These microbes inhabit the epiphytic and endophytic phyllosphere and contribute significantly to plant N supply and growth. Here, we summarize the contribution of phyllosphere-BNF to global N cycling, evaluate the diversity of leaf-associated N₂-fixers across plant hosts and ecosystems, illustrate the ecological adaptation of N₂-fixers to the phyllosphere, and identify the environmental factors driving BNF. Finally, we discuss potential BNF engineering strategies to improve the nitrogen uptake in plant leaves and thus sustainable food production.

Keywords: diazotrophs; methylotrophy; microbiome; nifH; nitrogen fixation; phyllosphere.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Ecosystem*
Nitrogen
Nitrogen Fixation*
Plant Leaves

Substances

Nitrogen