Gymnosperm Nodules
Several species of Podocarpus possess numerous small nodules on the root system. The nature of the endophyte in the nodule has been variously described in the literature but it is now clear that the most common endophyte is a non-septate fungus resembling the fungal component of endotrophic mycorrhizae.
The ability of the nodulated root system to fix nitrogen is a debatable point but recent studies have provided evidences to demonstrate that nodule-bearing roots reduce acetylene at a slow rate and accumulate 15N rather feebly when exposed to labelled nitrogen gas. Such results point out that root nodules of Podocarpus are not as vigorous in nitrogen fixation as their counterparts in angiosperms.





