Abstract
A FEATURE of myxophycean algæ is the capacity of certain members of the class to fix elemental nitrogen. Blue-green algæ are widely distributed in Nature. They are known to be particularly abundant in regions devoted to the cultivation of rice where the activities of nitrogen-fixing species probably make significant contributions to the maintenance of soil fertility1,2. Australia offers excellent opportunities for research. Previously, these have not been exploited even though 46,000 acres are sown to rice annually in the temperate Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area and extensive tracts of country are being developed for rice production in tropical Northern Australia.
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References
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Soils of the Katherine Darwin Region, Northern Territory, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization Soil Publication No. 6, Melbourne (1950).
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BUNT, J. Nitrogen-fixing Blue-Green Algæ in Australian Rice Soils. Nature 192, 479–480 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1038/192479a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/192479a0
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