Effect of rice plants on nitrogenase activity of flooded soils.

In samples of flooded soil containing blue-green algae (cyanobacteria), the presence of rice plants did not influence the nitrogenase activity of the algae. Nitrogenase activity of heterotrophic bacteria was enhanced by the presence of rice plants, but this activity was not affected by changes in plant density. The rate of nitrogen fixation in the rhizosphere, however, varied significantly among the 16 rice varieties tested. A simple method was devised to test the nitrogen-fixing activity in the root zone of rice varieties, and data were obtained showing marked differences in the activities of the 16 varieties. In tests of two varieties with dissimilar rates of nitrogen fixation in their rhizospheres, the variety which had the greater root weight and lesser shoot weight and which supported greater methane formation had the greater nitrogenase activity.