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Subject: Nitrogen Fixing tomatoes?
From: permacltur@aol.com (Permacltur)
Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com
Date: Wed, 17 May 00 12:31:59
Message-ID: <MOD$000517.26669@rec.gardens.ecosystems>



Greetings:
On the North American Fruit Explorers list, we discussing innoculating seeds
and transplants with mycorrhizal fungi. One contributor claims that
mycorrhizae facilitated "crossover" of Rhizobia between the roots of her beans
and the roots of nearby tomatoes. She says that the tomato roots are nodulated
and that someone who should know at the nearby university verified that they
are Rhizobia nodules. She further claims that it is "impossible" that these
are nematode infestations.
OK, I''m skeptical. Somehow the idea got lodged in my brain that Rhizobia are
specific to legumes and that other N-fixing genera associate with Frankia,
cyanobacteria (blue green algae), etc. There is no doubt that mycorrhizae
foster N-fixation, but tomatoes?
If anyone has solid information on this, please let me know. It helps if you
can post directly to my email address as I don't often get to the newsgroups.

Thanks

Dan Hemenway
Barking Frogs Permaculture Center
Sparr FL USA