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Biological Determinants of Crop Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Biotechnological Avenues for Improvement

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Just Enough Nitrogen

Abstract

Crop nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is crucial for sustainable food security as well as for a sustainable environment. It can be improved in the short term through improved fertilizer formulations and cropping practices under integrated nutrient management, but the inherent capacity of the plant to take up, retain and use the available nitrogen (N) has to be tackled biologically. The last decade has witnessed several major advances in our understanding on the biological determinants of N-response and N-use efficiency, which are opening up biotechnological opportunities for improvement in the medium to long term. This chapter highlights the various biological determinants including the uptake and assimilation of external N, remobilization of internal N, efflux or loss of N from plants. The emerging opportunities for NUE enhancement span a vast array of approaches including germplasm diversity, root architecture, molecular markers, phenomics, genomics and functional genomics, metabolomics and micro-Ribonucleic Acids (miRNAs). They are amenable to both transgenic, as well as non-transgenic selection/breeding options.

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Acknowledgements

VBS and JAP are thankful to ICAR and CSIR (India) for their fellowships. This work was supported in part by grants to NR from ICAR under NICRA, through CRIDA, Hyderabad, India and the Indian Department of Biotechnology under the NEWS India-UK Virtual Joint Network.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, School of Engineering and Technology, Sharda University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201306, India

    Vimlendu Bhushan Sinha

  2. University School of Biotechnology, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Dwarka Sec. 16C, New Delhi, 110078, India

    Vimlendu Bhushan Sinha, Annie P. Jangam & N. Raghuram

  3. South Asian Nitrogen Centre, Indian Nitrogen Group, Sustainable India Trust and Society for Conservation of Nature, F-4, A-Block, NASc Complex, DPS Marg, Pusa, New Delhi, 110012, India

    N. Raghuram

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  1. Vimlendu Bhushan Sinha
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  2. Annie P. Jangam
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  3. N. Raghuram
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Correspondence to N. Raghuram .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), Edinburgh Research Station, Penicuik, Midlothian, UK

    Mark A. Sutton

  2. UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), Edinburgh Research Station, Penicuik, Midlothian, UK

    Kate E. Mason

  3. National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands

    Albert Bleeker

  4. Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York, UK

    W. Kevin Hicks

  5. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Yaoundé Research Station, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Cargele Masso

  6. University School of Biotechnology, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India

    N. Raghuram

  7. UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), Edinburgh Research Station, Penicuik, Midlothian, UK

    Stefan Reis

  8. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Arusha, Tanzania

    Mateete Bekunda

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Sinha, V.B., Jangam, A.P., Raghuram, N. (2020). Biological Determinants of Crop Nitrogen Use Efficiency and Biotechnological Avenues for Improvement. In: Sutton, M.A., et al. Just Enough Nitrogen. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58065-0_11

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