Engineered plant control of associative nitrogen fixation

Abstract

Significance Inoculation of cereals with diazotrophic (N 2 -fixing) bacteria offers a sustainable alternative to the application of nitrogen fertilizers in agriculture. While natural diazotrophs have evolved multilayered regulatory mechanisms that couple N 2 fixation with assimilation of the product NH 3 and prevent release to plants, genetic modifications can permit excess production and excretion of NH 3 . However, a lack of stringent host-specificity for root colonization by the bacteria would allow growth promotion of target and nontarget plants species alike. Here, we exploit synthetic transkingdom signaling to establish plant host-specific control of the N 2 -fixation catalyst nitrogenase in Azorhizobium caulinodans occupying barley roots. This work demonstrates how partner-specific interactions can be established to avoid potential growth promotion of nontarget plants.