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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1980 February; 39(2): 342-347

Nitrogen Fixation by Photosynthetic Bacteria in Lowland Rice Culture

¹ Laboratory of Soil Microbiology, Department of Agronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853

ABSTRACT

Propanil (3',4'-dichloropropionanilide) was a potent inhibitor of the nitrogenase activity of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) in flooded soil, but the herbicide at comparable concentrations was not toxic to rice, protozoa, and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Ethanol-amended flooded soils treated with propanil exhibited higher rates of nitrogenase activity than those not treated with the herbicide. The enhanced nitrogenase activity in propanil-treated soils was associated with a rise in the population of purple sulfur bacteria, especially of cells resembling Chromatium and Thiospirillum. By employing propanil and a means of excluding light from the floodwater to prevent the development of phototrophs during rice growth under lowland conditions, the relative activities of blue-green algae, photosynthetic bacteria, and the rhizosphere microflora were determined. The results suggest that the potential contribution of photosynthetic bacteria may be quite high.