Scientists at Brazil's National Amazon Research Institute (INPA) have developed a technology for rejuvenating barren soils, local media reported Sunday.
The technology, using leguminous plants from the febaceae family to re-inject nutrient materials into soils, "is cheap and can be an important solution to the Amazon region, where soils are poor in nitrogen," said Luiz Augusto Gomes de Souza, an expert from INPA.
Legume roots can create a structure called nodule which draws in bacteria to fix nitrogen in soils, providing nutrients for future plants at the same spot, Gomez said.
The plants feed the bacteria through photosynthesis products and consume the nitrogen the bacteria excrete, making legumes rich in nitrogen, he said.
The expert studied at least 45 kinds of native legumes in the Amazon region, including sucupira, angelim, jacaranda, macacauba, copaiba, cumaru and jatoba, to see which one had the greatest nitrogen-fixing capacity.
"The study included collecting fruit, germinating seeds, producing sprouts and then saplings. It allowed us to identify the best species that could contribute to soil rejuvenation," he said.
The technology can also be used to boost agricultural output, he said.
Source:Xinhua
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