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Comment by moconnor | Hacker News Reader

So, plants able to do this have a strong evolutionary advantage over many other plant species on this planet? Nah, couldn't possibly go wrong.

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Strong evolutionary DIS-advantage compared to non-fixing plants in any non-nitrogen-deficient soil. Doesn't matter if you fix nitrogen in a chemical plant or a plant root, it takes lots and lots of energy.

Its a natural ecological cycle like many others with oscillations and such. Given a couple decades, a soil saturated with nitrogen would probably result in the non-fixers wiping out the fixers.

The more flippant answer is it can't be any worse than Kudzu. Kudzu is an edible (edible by goat standards) nitro-fixer that is eating the south. I would guess that issuing a human edible competitor to Kudzu would be a net win? Cover the American North with kudzu-like layer of super-wheat wouldn't be so bad...

Technically I think Kudzu is human-edible. I don't know how good it tastes, but I know you can eat it.

Also fit for livestock, but difficult to bale. And used medicinally (anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial to treat headaches, tinnitus, vertigo, Wei syndrome, alcoholism and hangover), and even for basketry. Unfortunately, the U.S. just considers it a nuisance and doesn't take advantage of it.

"I, for one, welcome our new soybean overlords."?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soybean#Nitrogen-fixing_ability

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