Question

Explain why it would be more beneficial for a farmer to inoculate their soybean crop with Rhizobiumthan treat with a nitrogen fertilizer.  

Answer 1

Rhizobium treating soybean plants are more beneficial than nitrogen fertiliser because of following reasons.

* Rhizobium is a nitrogen fixing bacteria which hosts in leguminous crops such as Soybean plant roots. In soybean plant, it fixes nitrogen and make ammonia. Now this ammonia is used by plant directly for utilising as nitrogen source in synthesis of amino acids and for synthesis is nitrogenous base pair.  

But the nitrogen fertiliser treated soil has also provide nitrogen source to plants. But plants utilise more energy to uptake this fertiliser. That's why Rhizobium treated is more useful than nitrogen fertiliser treated soil.

** Similarly it is found that these nitrogenous compounds can also leach to water table which will lead to contaminate the soil and water and cause water and soil pollution. But Rhizobium do not deteriorate soil and water quality.

*** These nitrogenous compounds also destroy the microflora of soil. But there is no effect on microflora by Rhizobium.