Abstract: That microorganisms present in soil are able to assimilate molecular nitrogen was recognized many years ago. The nitrogen gain determined by the Kjeldahl method during growth in a medium free of fixed nitrogen was usually taken as a measure of nitrogen fixation activity. In 1943 Burris and Wilson introduced the 15N technique, which allowed the direct demonstration of fixed nitrogen and ammonia formation from N2. With 15N it was also possible to detect the N2-fixing enzyme system—the nitrogenase—in cell extracts. In recent years a very convenient technique was introduced for the determination of nitrogenase activity, acetylene reduction. Nitrogenase reduces acetylene to ethylene, and the latter can be easily quantitated by gas chromatography.
Publication Year: 1986
Publication Date: 1986-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 6
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