rhizobium

American  

[rahy-zoh-bee-uhm] / raɪˈzoʊ bi əm /

noun

Bacteriology.

plural

rhizobia

1. any of several rod-shaped bacteria of the genus Rhizobium, found as symbiotic nitrogen fixers in nodules on the roots of the bean, clover, etc.

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rhizobium British  

/ raɪˈzəʊbɪəm /

noun

1. any rod-shaped bacterium of the genus Rhizobium , typically occurring in the root nodules of leguminous plants and able to fix atmospheric nitrogen See also nitrogen fixation

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Etymology

Origin of rhizobium

< New Latin (1889), equivalent to rhizo- rhizo- + Greek bí ( os ) life ( bio- ) + Latin -um noun suffix

Example Sentences

Rhizobium fungi have a symbiotic relationship with the bean plant: The fungi help the bean absorb nitrogen from the soil, and the beans feed the fungi carbohydrates as they photosynthesize.

From Seattle Times

If possible, coat the seeds with Rhizobium inoculant before planting.

From Seattle Times

But after several false starts he and his team came up with the magic formula: a fatty-acid-elongase gene from a waterborne moss called Physcomitrella patens, a fatty-acid-desaturase gene from Emiliana huxleyi, a planktonic alga, and so on, all put together as a single DNA package and delivered by a messenger called Rhizobium radiobacter, a bacterium that is able to inject bits of its DNA into plant cells.

From Economist

He explained that the growths held rhizobium, a beneficial bacterium that converts nitrogen in the atmosphere into ammonia and other compounds that help plants grow.

From Scientific American

Rhizobium—will penetrate directly into the cells, live in them for weeks or months without injury—nay even with advantage to their life.

From Project Gutenberg