Effectiveness of symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria on Stylosanthes
guianensis from alluvial gold mine spoils in Madre de Dios
Abstract
The Madre de Dios region in southeastern Peru, known for its biological
and cultural diversity, is threatened by alluvial gold mining, which has
led to deforestation and ecosystem degradation. This article focuses on
the nodulation capacity of symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the
plant Stylosanthes guianensis in areas degraded by alluvial gold
mining in Madre de Dios. The objectives were to characterize bacterial
strains, evaluate their nodulation capacity and their influence on plant
growth in mining substrate. The results indicate that the inoculation of
these bacteria had a positive impact on the development of S.
guianensis, promoting growth and the formation of effective nodules in
all test conditions. In addition, it was observed that the slow-growing
strains in vitro had a more beneficial effect on plant growth than the
fast-growing strains. These findings suggest that inoculation of
nitrogen-fixing bacteria may be an effective strategy for the
restoration of degraded areas, highlighting the importance of symbiosis
between these bacteria and the plant in the recovery of degraded
ecosystems, and raises the need for further research to better
understand the species involved in biological nitrogen fixation and to
determine the best inoculants to increase forage yields of S.
guianensis.