To kick start the week, we present an image taken by one of our microscope 🔬 users
@veggie_barbie from the functional genomics 🧬 laboratory. Barbara (aka
@veggie_barbie ) works on symbiotic nitrogen fixation, a process wherein nitrogen in the air is converted by bacteria 🦠 within plant cells into forms that plants 🌱 can use to support their growth.
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Shown here is a thin section of a nodule from the model legume Medicago truncatula. Other legumes include peas, peanuts 🥜 and soybeans. Nodules are specialized organs that form in legume roots that house 🏠 nitrogen fixing bacteria ( the green speckles in the image). Barbara works on discovering new genes 🧬 to improve the nitrogen fixing process in legumes and the functional genomics group in general seeks to extend this process in non-legumes to increase productivity of crops with minimal use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers.
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Thank you
@veggie_barbie for the image and the work that you do for sustainable agriculture.
