Growing up, all of us learnt that farmers use fertilisers to facilitate crops’ progress to make sure a greater harvest. There are natural and inorganic fertilisers available in the market. While natural fertilisers are good for the soil’s well being, inorganic fertilisers are confirmed to be simpler and utilized by farmers! The most closely used inorganic fertiliser available in the market is nitrogen. But, everyone knows that the extreme use of fertilisers on vegetables and fruit might be dangerous for the crop. What if we advised you that there could also be a chance that crops do not must be fertilised anymore?!

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Nitrogen is crucial for the expansion of a crop and subsequently nitrogen fertilisers are closely used for farming. However, a plant has been capable of repair nitrogen from the ambiance with none fertilisers! Known as Sierra Mixe Maize, this particular corn is thought to be indigenous to Mexico and has been making head turns. This plant can naturally take up the nitrogen that’s within the air and develop at full capability with out the usage of fertilisers. Shared by @planthropology_ on Twitter, we get a glimpse of what makes this corn so particular and the way is it capable of handle to repair nitrogen from the surroundings. Take a glance:

Hi there, to spherical out your weekend, you have formally been notified that there is endemic Mexican maize that has aerial roots that use bacterial colonies to repair nitrogen from the ambiance. It appears to be like like this. You wanted to know that. pic.twitter.com/CXtI5FkXus— Planthropology Podcast🌵 (@Planthropology_) November 6, 2022

The crimson banana-like construction you may see protruding out of the bark of the tree is the aerial roots. Roots are typically beneath the bottom and within the soil and the soil is fertilised with nitrogen in order that the nitrogen might be fastened by way of the soil. But Sierra Mixe Maize roots usually are not underground and, within the air, permitting the plant to repair the nitrogen naturally occurring in our ambiance. According to the analysis article “nitrogen fixation in a landrace of maize is supported by a mucilage-associated diazotrophic microbiota” by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, this aerial root secretes carbohydrate-rich mucilage that permits it to repair nitrogen. This makes it superb as about 78% of our ambiance is made from nitrogen.

If all crops may do that, then we might not want to make use of inorganic fertilisers on our vegetables and fruit, making them more healthy than ever! What do you consider this phenomenon? Do share your ideas within the feedback part under!