Black-Eyed Pea Strains Tested for Nitrogen-Fixing Ability
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, tested 20 types of black-eyed peas for their ability to entice and protect nitrogen-fixing bacteria. They say that black-eyed peas, a popular food crop in many parts of the world, could play an important role in crop rotations for their ability to fix nitrogen and their drought tolerance. This study found that the domesticated and improved black-eyed peas still have strong relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria; in some cases, better than wild plant relatives. The research pointed toward a genetic basis for the plants with the best nitrogen-related performance, suggesting that the crop's performance...