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which bacteria absorb nitrogen from atmosphere and make it useful for plants

Some plants have an ability to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere through a process called symbiotic nitrogen fixation.

The symbiotic bacterium Rhizobium is found in association with the root nodules of the leguminous plants such as beans, peas, gram and groundnut. The association between the Rhizobium and the leguminous plants is symbiotic in nature.

Root nodules acts as a site of Nitrogen fixation. The root nodules contain a pigment called leghaemoglobin. It gives a pinkish colour as it is closely related to the haemoglobin present in RBC's. Like haemoglobin it also combines with oxygen. By combining with oxygen leghaemoglobin protects the enzyme nitrogenase, which functions only under anaerobic conditions. Nitrogenase is the only enzyme that can split nitrogen molecule for nitrogen fixation.


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