Question

Explain the significance of root nodules in leguminous plants.

Answer 1

Significance of root nodules:

1. The root nodules in leguminous plants are actually home to many nitrogen fixing bacteria like Rhizobium.
2. They are usually be seen in nitrogen limited conditions.
3. Example: Leguminous plants like beans, clover, peas.
4. A symbiotic relationship between the plant and the bacteria is the seen in the root nodules.​
5. Farmers grow and then plough in leguminous plants into their fallow fields to enrich the soil with the nodules of fixed nitrogen, so that their crops will do better next time round.
6. Within legume nodules, nitrogen gas from the atmosphere is converted into ammonia, which is then assimilated into amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), nucleotides (the building blocks of DNA and RNA as well as the important energy molecule ATP), and other cellular constituents such as vitamins, flavones, and hormones.
7. Their ability to fix gaseous nitrogen makes legumes an ideal agricultural organism as their requirement for nitrogen fertilizer is reduced.