Biological fixation of nitrogen by organisms and associations other than
those concerned in the legume-Rhizobium symbiosis has attracted
increasing attention since the firstintemationalworkshop on the theme at
Piracicaba, Brasil, in 1979. Approximately 150 scientists gathered on
September 2-8, 1984, at the Hanasaari Cultural Centre near Helsinki,
Finland, for the third international meeting on nitrogen fixation with
non-legumes. Forty-two papers and 39 posters were presented; 32 of the
papers have been broughttogetherin this publication. The Symposium was
generously sponsored by the FinnishNational Fund for Research and
Development (SITRA) in connection with a large project on biological
nitrogenfixation and utilization ofnitrogen extending from 1980 to 1985.
The Symposium was organized jointly by SITRA, which dealt with all
practical matters very efficiently and with impressive concern for the
welfare of the participants, and Societas Biochemica, Biophysica et
Microbiologica Fenniae, the society of Finnish microbiologists, which
made valuable contributions on scientific matters. As in the previous
symposium at Banff, Canada, in 1982 the programme did not involve
parallel sessions all participants had the opportunity of listening to
all presentations. Consequently, the FIN- NIF Symposium profited from a
steady audience and the consistency this gave to the discussions. In
view of the growing interest in N-fixation with non-legumes and the
continuous broadening of the field, such an arrangement may not be
possible in the future. I thank all participants for their
contributionsto both oral sessions and poster presentations, and hope
that this publication will become a frequently quoted source of
knowledge.