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When discussing the application of nitrogen in agriculture, it is essential to consider the sources of nitrogen used. Synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, such as ammonium nitrate and urea , are commonly applied to crops to replenish soil nitrogen levels and enhance crop productivity [ 3 ] These fertilizers provide readily available nitrogen for ...
Nitrogen fixation, which converts atmospheric nitrogen (N 2) to ammonia, and denitrification, which converts biologically available nitrogen compounds to N 2 and N 2 O, are two of the most important metabolic processes involved in the nitrogen cycle because they are the largest inputs and outputs of nitrogen to ecosystems. They allow nitrogen ...
Human impact on the nitrogen cycle is diverse. Agricultural and industrial nitrogen (N) inputs to the environment currently exceed inputs from natural N fixation. [1] As a consequence of anthropogenic inputs, the global nitrogen cycle (Fig. 1) has been significantly altered over the past century.
Research in New Zealand estimated that switching agricultural production towards a healthier diet while reducing greenhouse gas emissions would cost approximately 1% of the agricultural sector's export revenue for New Zealand, which is an order of magnitude less than the estimated health system savings from a healthier diet. [53]
The negative impact of agriculture is an old issue that remains a concern even as experts design innovative means to reduce destruction and enhance eco-efficiency. [2] Animal agriculture practices tend to be more environmentally destructive than agricultural practices focused on fruits, vegetables and other biomass. The emissions of ammonia ...
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates world demand for nitrogen fertilizers increased by 1.7% annually between 2011 and 2015, an increase of 7.5 million tonnes. Regional increases of nitrogen fertilizer use are expected to be 67% by Asia, 18% by the Americas, 10% by Europe, 3% by Africa, and 1% by Oceania.
Livestock produces the majority of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and demands around 30% of agricultural freshwater needs, while only supplying 18% of the global calorie intake. Animal-derived food plays a larger role in meeting human protein needs, yet is still a minority of supply at 39%, with crops providing the rest.
For example, nitrogen compounds comprise 40% to 50% of the dry matter of protoplasm, and it is a constituent of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. [9] It is also an essential constituent of chlorophyll. [10] In many agricultural settings, nitrogen is the limiting nutrient for rapid growth.