noun
- A genus of rod-shaped, aerobic bacteria found in soil and water that can fix atmospheric nitrogen into compounds usable by plants.
Usage: scientific/technical; microbiology
Examples
- Azotobacter species are important in agriculture because they enrich soil with nitrogen.
- The farmer studied azotobacter colonies to understand natural nitrogen fixation.
- Azotobacter can survive in harsh soil conditions where other nitrogen-fixing bacteria cannot.
- Scientists use azotobacter in biofertilizer research to reduce chemical fertilizer dependence.
- The presence of azotobacter in the soil sample indicated good microbial diversity.