Black Eyed Peas Could Help Eliminate Need for Fertilizer

By Jules Bernstein

Black eyed peas' ability to attract beneficial bacteria isn't diminished by modern farming practices, new UC Riverside research shows. Planting it in rotation with other crops could help growers avoid the need for costly, environmentally damaging fertilizers.

Without enough nitrogen, plants won't grow. The plant family that black eyed peas belong to, legumes, are unique in their ability to obtain substantial amounts of it by enticing and protecting nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

"The ability of legumes to do this caused them immense success as the third biggest plant family on the planet," said Joel Sachs, UCR professor of evolution and ecology.

Often times, when people grow crops, they focus on above-ground traits like disease resistance, yield, and protein content. Only recently have growers begun to pay closer attention to below-ground traits, like plants' ability to attract soil-enhancing microbes.

UCR plant pathologist Gabriel Ortiz wanted to understand whether black eyed peas—a hugely popular food in many parts of the world—maintain their ability to attract good bacteria even after being subjected to modern farming practices. In many cases, plants heavily impacted by humans do not benefit as much from relationships with bacteria compared to their wild relatives.

However, Ortiz and his team found that the peas maintained their natural ability to form beneficial relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. "In fact, some of the strains in the experiment appear to have gained more benefit from bacteria than their wild ancestors," Sachs said.