Journal ArticleDOI
How inhibiting nitrification affects nitrogen cycle and reduces environmental impacts of anthropogenic nitrogen input
TLDR
The findings showed that NIs could create a win-win scenario that reduces the negative impact of N leaching and greenhouse gas production, while increases the agricultural output, and NI's potential negative impacts should be fully considered before large-scale application.Abstract:
Anthropogenic activities, and in particular the use of synthetic nitrogen (N) fertilizer, have doubled global annual reactive N inputs in the past 50-100 years, causing deleterious effects on the environment through increased N leaching and nitrous oxide (N2 O) and ammonia (NH3 ) emissions. Leaching and gaseous losses of N are greatly controlled by the net rate of microbial nitrification. Extensive experiments have been conducted to develop ways to inhibit this process through use of nitrification inhibitors (NI) in combination with fertilizers. Yet, no study has comprehensively assessed how inhibiting nitrification affects both hydrologic and gaseous losses of N and plant nitrogen use efficiency. We synthesized the results of 62 NI field studies and evaluated how NI application altered N cycle and ecosystem services in N-enriched systems. Our results showed that inhibiting nitrification by NI application increased NH3 emission (mean: 20%, 95% confidential interval: 33-67%), but reduced dissolved inorganic N leaching (-48%, -56% to -38%), N2 O emission (-44%, -48% to -39%) and NO emission (-24%, -38% to -8%). This amounted to a net reduction of 16.5% in the total N release to the environment. Inhibiting nitrification also increased plant N recovery (58%, 34-93%) and productivity of grain (9%, 6-13%), straw (15%, 12-18%), vegetable (5%, 0-10%) and pasture hay (14%, 8-20%). The cost and benefit analysis showed that the economic benefit of reducing N's environmental impacts offsets the cost of NI application. Applying NI along with N fertilizer could bring additional revenues of $163 ha(-1) yr(-1) for a maize farm, equivalent to 8.95% increase in revenues. Our findings showed that NIs could create a win-win scenario that reduces the negative impact of N leaching and greenhouse gas production, while increases the agricultural output. However, NI's potential negative impacts, such as increase in NH3 emission and the risk of NI contamination, should be fully considered before large-scale application.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Ammonia volatilization from synthetic fertilizers and its mitigation strategies: A global synthesis
TL;DR: In this paper, a meta-analysis of 824 observations on impacts on NH3 volatilization of 4R Nutrient Stewardship (right source, rate, place and time), farming practices (irrigation, residue retention, amendments), and enhanced efficiency fertilizers (fertilizers with urease inhibitors, nitrification inhibitors or controlled release coatings) was conducted.
Journal ArticleDOI
Nitrogen transformations in modern agriculture and the role of biological nitrification inhibition
TL;DR: Key recent discoveries in the emerging field of BNI research are examined, focusing on BNI compounds and their specificity and transport, and prospects for their role in improving agriculture while reducing its environmental impact are discussed.
Journal ArticleDOI
Can knowledge-based N management produce more staple grain with lower greenhouse gas emission and reactive nitrogen pollution? A meta-analysis
TL;DR: The results suggest that knowledge-based N management practice can be considered an effective way to ensure food security and improve environmental sustainability, while increasing economic return.
Journal ArticleDOI
How Plant Root Exudates Shape the Nitrogen Cycle.
TL;DR: This work discusses recent breakthroughs in this area, including the identification of root exudates as nitrification inhibitors and as signaling compounds facilitating N-acquisition symbioses, and indicates gaps in current knowledge.
Journal ArticleDOI
Current status and environment impact of direct straw return in China's cropland - A review.
TL;DR: It was concluded that straw could be positively effective on the improvement of the soil quality and the grain production, but it appeared that the straw return had several neglect negative effects, implying that further research and assessment on the returned straw are required before its large-scale promotion in China.
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