What is Rhizobia?
[[File:Lotus pedunculatus11 ies.jpg|thumb|230px|Rhizobia bacteria in nodules fix [[nitrogen]]]] [[File:Soybean-root-nodules.jpg|thumb|230px|[[Soybean]] root nodules, each containing billions of ''Bradyrhizobium'' bacteria]] '''Rhizobia''' are [[Gram-negative]] [[soil]] [[bacterium|bacteria]] which grow inside the [[root]] nodules of legumes (the [[pea]] family: [[Fabaceae]]). The growth of this bacteria is beneficial to their plant host. They [[Nitrogen fixation|fix]] (absorb and chemically change) [[nitrogen]] from the air and convert it into the chemical ammonia (through the help of [[Enzyme|enzymes]]). The host plant breaks down this ammonia and uses it for growth. In return, the plants provide the bacteria with nutrients for growth from products of plant [[photosynthesis]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2023-02-24|title=Welcome to Farming For a Better Climate - Farming For a Better Climate|url=https://www.farmingforabetterclimate.org/|access-date=2023-07-01|website=www.farmingforabetterclimate.org|language=en-GB}}</ref> Rhizobia require a plant host; they cannot independently fix nitrogen. As this relationship is beneficial for both plant and bacteria involved, it is a classic example of [[symbiosis]] and [[mutualism]]<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sawada|first1=Hiroyuki|last2=Kuykendall|first2=L. David|last3=Young|first3=John M.|date=2003|title=Changing concepts in the systematics of bacterial nitrogen-fixing legume symbionts|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2323/jgam.49.155|journal=The Journal of General and Applied Microbiology|volume=49|issue=3|pages=155–179|doi=10.2323/jgam.49.155|pmid=12949698 |issn=0022-1260}}</ref> which are found in all Rhizobia. Rhizobia is very important in aiding plant growth in soils with low Nitrogen concentrations and is classed as a fertiliser for soil.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Jaiswal|first1=Sanjay K.|last2=Mohammed|first2=Mustapha|last3=Ibny|first3=Fadimata Y. I.|last4=Dakora|first4=Felix D.|date=2021-01-27|title=Rhizobia as a Source of Plant Growth-Promoting Molecules: Potential Applic