Teaming with Bacteria - Jeff Lowenfels

A must-read handbook for organic gardeners and small-scale growers.
Thanks to research conducted over the last few decades, we know that most plants get a significant portion of their nutrients by attracting endophytic bacteria—bacteria that live inside a plant's cells. Through a complex process, plant cells harvest the nitrogen and other nutrients in a bacterium's cell wall and expel the bacterium's protoplasts back into the soil where they rebuild their cell walls, start feeding again, and repeat the cycle. Interesting, you may think, but why does this matter? As it turns out, it matters a lot. The bottom line is this: without endophytic bacteria, plants get fewer nutrients and cannot develop properly.
Teaming with Bacteria not only explains the rhizophagy cycle; it shows you how to harness this amazing process to increase productivity and plant health. In addition, endophytic bacteria increase a plant's...