Plants And Nitrogen

Jointly published with INRA, Paris. This book covers all aspects of the transfer of nitrogen from the soil and air to a final resting place in the seed protein of a crop plant. It describes the physiological and molecular mechanisms of ammonium and nitrate transport and assimilation, including symbiotic nitrogen fixation by the Rhizobiacea. Amino acid metabolism and nitrogen traffic during plant growth and development and details of protein biosynthesis in the seeds are also extensively covered. Finally, the effects of the application of nitrogen fertilisers on plant growth, crop yield and the environment are discussed. Written by international experts in their field, Plant Nitrogen is essential reading for all plant biochemists, biotechnologists, molecular biologists and physiologists as well as plant breeders, agricultural engineers, agronomists and phytochemists.

This book discusses the association that exists between plants and their most important dietary component, nitrogen. The author combines ecological, physiological and biochemical approaches to provide the reader with an overall view of nitrogen in the biosphere and a specific view of nitrogen processing in plants. The processes which make up the nitrogen cycle, including mineralization, immobilization by microbes and nitrification, are discussed and the losses and gains of combined nitrogen from and to the cycle. The part which plants play in this cycling, by their processing of inorganic nitrogen into compounds which are required by plants and animals alike, and the chemistry and production of those compounds, is also covered. Transport of nitrogen compounds within the plant, and the fate of these compounds, is discussed. The final chapter considers the part which humans play in the cycling of nitrogen, with special reference to the nitrogen fertilizers used in agriculture.

This publication contains the most important information acquired over the last twenty years in the area of nitrogen metabolism and envisages new strategies to improve plant species of agronomic value by devising new techniques for growing them.

A growing interest has been shown recently in the dymanics of nitrogen in agricultural and natural ecosystems. This has been caused by increasing demands for food and fibre by a rapidly expanding world population, and by a growing concern that increased land clearing, cultivation and use of both fertilizer and biologically fixed nitrogen can have detrimental effects on the environment. These include effects on water quality, eutrophication of surface waters and changes in atmospheric composition all caused by increased cycling of nitrogenous compounds. The input and availability of nitrogen frequently affects the productivity of farming systems more than any other single management factor, but often the nitrogen is used inefficiently. Much of the fertilizer nitrogen applied to the soil is not utilised by the crop: it is lost either in solution form, by leaching of nitrate, or in gaseous forms as ammonia, nitrous oxide, nitric oxide or dinitrogen. The leached nitrate can contaminate rivers and ground waters, while the emitted ammonia can contaminate surface waters or combine with atmospheric sulfur dioxide to form aerosols which affect visibility, health and climate. There is also concern that increased evolution of nitrous oxide will deplete the protective ozone layer of the stratosphere. The possibility of a link between the intensity of agricultural use of nitrogen, nitrous oxide emissions and amounts of stratospheric ozone has focussed attention on these interactions.

Long-awaited second edition of classic textbook, brought completely up to date, for courses on tropical soils, and reference for scientists and professionals.

Nitrogen in the Environment, Volume 2: Soil-Plant-Nitrogen Relationships is the second of a two-volume treatise based on manuscripts presented at the international conference on ""Nitrogen in the Environment,"" held at the University of California Conference Center, Lake Arrowhead, in February, 1977. All original manuscripts were revised in accordance with discussions at the conference. The chapters published in these volumes are those revised manuscripts, with provisions in each chapter to preserve the major suggestions for their improvement. These two volumes—Nitrogen Behavior in Field Soil and Soil-Plant-Nitrogen Relationships—should be of value in bringing into perspective current knowledge on selected aspects of nitrogen in the environment. The book contains 22 chapters and opens with a study on the factors influencing nitrate acquisition by plants; assimilation and fate of reduced nitrogen. Separate chapters follow on topics such as absorption and utilization of ammonium nitrogen by plants; potential nitrate levels in edible plant parts; control of biological nitrogen fixation; and methods for analysis of denitrification in soils.

Nitrogen is the most important nutrient in agricultural practice because the availability of nitrogen from the soil is generally not enough to support crop yields. To maintain soil fertility, the application of organic matters and crop rotation have been practiced. Farmers can use convenient chemical nitrogen fertilizers to obtain high crop yields. However, the inappropriate use of nitrogen fertilizers causes environmental problems such as nitrate leaching, contamination in groundwater, and the emission of N2O gas. This book is divided into the following four sections: “Ecology and Environmental Aspects of Nitrogen in Agriculture”, “Nitrogen Fertilizers and Nitrogen Management in Agriculture”, “N Utilization and Metabolism in Crops”, “Plant-Microbe Interactions”.