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Explora: Environment
and Resource Anabaena-Azolla for crops and bioenergy

Thus, Azolla is a simple aquatic fern containing a Conflict of interest
cyanobiont with multiple benefits. However, the growth
of Anabaena- Azolla is limited in temperate environments The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
due to its sensitivity to lower temperatures during winter Author contributions
and to the temperature fluctuations between day and night
during spring before rice sowing. 31 Conceptualization: Gangatharan Muralitharan
Visualization: An-Ya Lo, Bhooma Venkatesan
13. Conclusion Writing – original draft: Ponnusamy Ramesh, Chelliah

Cyanobacteria significantly contribute to farmers’ Koventhan, Bhooma Venkatesan
economic growth through agriculture. These organisms Writing – review & editing: Ponnusamy Ramesh,
enhance soil activity by fixing molecular nitrogen Gangatharan Muralitharan, Chelliah Koventhan
from the atmosphere. As many higher photosynthetic Ethics approval and consent to participate
organisms, such as plants, are unable to convert nitrogen
into a usable form, these cyanobacterial species assist in Not applicable.
this process. Cyanobacteria are associated with certain
plants, benefiting both organisms in the symbiotic Consent for publication
relationship. Furthermore, the beneficial symbiosis Not applicable.
between Anabaena and Azollae contributes to several
aspects, such as bioremediation, enhancing soil fertility, Availability of data
serving as animal feed, and controlling weed growth Not applicable.
in the agricultural field. These symbiotic organisms
are abundant in rice fields, where around 5% of the References
nitrogen fixed by Anabaena is directly utilized by the
Azolla plant. The remaining 95% is mineralized and 1. Singh H, Khattar JS, Ahluwalia AS. Cyanobacteria and
agricultural crops. Int J Plant Res. 2014;27(1):37.
converted into NH after the decomposition of Azolla,
3
which is then released into the field, benefiting the doi: 10.5958/j.2229-4473.27.1.008
crops. Beyond agricultural benefits, this symbiosis holds 2. Rai AN, Singh AK, Syiem MB. Plant growth-promoting
potential for bioenergy production, including bio-oil abilities in Cyanobacteria. In: Cyanobacteria. Netherlands:
and biodiesel. This review highlights the various benefits Elsevier; 2019. p. 459-476.
of the Anabaena-Azolla symbiosis, which mainly doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-814667-5.00023-4
promotes plant growth but also has several other positive
environmental impacts. Moreover, we recommend that 3. Vaishampayan A, Sinha RP, Hader DP, et al. Cyanobacterial
Anabaena-Azolla symbiosis be considered a means to biofertilizers in rice agriculture. Bot Rev. 2001;67(4):453-516.
improve the economic standing of farmers through doi: 10.1007/BF02857893
the applications discussed in this review. The scientific 4. Singh A, Chandra Y, Azad S, Kumar M, Azad CS. Effect of
community should also pursue further research on Azolla on Crops and Weeds. Vigyan Varta. 2022;1:19-23.
Anabaena-Azolla to address human needs.
5. Raja W, Rathaur P, John SA, Ramteke PW. Azolla-Anabaena
Acknowledgments association and its significance in supportable agriculture.
Azolla-Anabaena ilişkisi ve dayanikli tarimdaki önemi.
We thank the Molecular Evolution Laboratory, Hacettepe J Biol Chem. 2012;40:1-6.
Department of Microbiology, Centre of Excellence in Life 6. Carballo-Sánchez MP, Alarcón A, Pérez-Moreno J, Ferrera-
Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Cerrato R. Agricultural and forestry importance of
Nadu, India, and Institute of Electro-Optical Engineering, microorganism-plant symbioses: A microbial source for
National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan, for biotechnological innovations. Rev Agric Sci. 2022;10(0):344-355.
their immense support of this work.
doi: 10.7831/ras.10.0_344
Funding 7. Thapa P, Poudel K. Azolla: Potential biofertilizer for
increasing rice productivity, and government policy for
We thank RUSA 2.0 – Biological Sciences, funded by implementation. J Wastes Biomass Manag. 2021;3(2):62-68.
MHRD, Government of India for the fellowship support,
and the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC doi: 10.26480/jwbm.02.2021.62.68
111-2221-E-003-035-MY3; NSTC 111-2811-E-167- 8. Kodape A, Sharma S. Anabaena azollae culture water a
001-MY3), Taiwan. source for bioremediation. Int J Res Biosci Agric Technol.

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2025) 15 doi: 10.36922/eer.7975