Question

How does nitrogen fixing help plants grow?

Answer 1

Role of nitrogen in plant growth:

1. Nitrogen is a major component of chlorophyll, the compound by which plants utilize the sunlight energy to produce sugars from water and carbon dioxide (i.e., photosynthesis).
2. It is also a major component of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Some proteins act as structural units in plant cells while others act as enzymes for various biochemical reactions.
3. Nitrogen is a component of energy-transfer compounds, such as ATP (adenosine triphosphate).
4. It is a significant component of nucleic acids such as DNA that allows cells to grow and reproduce.
5. Plants take nitrogen from the soil continuously throughout their lives, and nitrogen demand usually increases as plant size increases.
6. A nitrogen-deficient plant is generally short and develops slowly because it lacks the nitrogen necessary to produce adequate structural and genetic materials. It is usually pale green or yellowish because it lacks adequate chlorophyll.
7. On the other hand, plants may grow so rapidly when supplied with excessive nitrogen that they develop protoplasm faster than they can build sufficient supporting material in cell walls. This additional nitrogen can be provided via. nitrogen fixation by microbes.