How soybeans recruit bacteria to make their fertilizer

A closer look

Plants are entirely capable of orchestrating their own bacterial hostage situations. Legumes like soybeans are starved for nitrogen, so they pump out chemicals called flavonoids into the soil. This aggressively summons Rhizobia bacteria, which then curl the plant’s root hairs and deliberately infect them. The plant builds a comfortable nodule for the invaders, forcing them to pay rent by synthesizing atmospheric fertilizer.