Liberation of amino acids by heterotrophic nitrogen fixing bacteria

Summary.

Large amounts of amino acids are produced by nitrogen-fixing bacteria such as Azotobacter, Azospirillum, Rhizobium, Mesorhizobium and Sinorhizobium when growing in culture media amended with different carbon and nitrogen sources. This kind of bacteria live in close association with plant roots enhanced plant growth mainly as a result of their ability to fix nitrogen, improving shoot and root development suppression of pathogenic bacteria and fungi, and increase of available P concentration. Also, it has been strongly evidenced that production of biologically substances such as amino acids by these rhizobacteria are involved in many of the processes that explain plant-grown promotion. This paper reviews literature concerning amino acids production by nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The role of amino acids in microbial interactions in the rhizosphere and establishment of plant bacterial association is also discussed.