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Plant assimilation and nitrogen cycling

Asimilación de nitrógeno por las plantas y el ciclo de este elemento

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Abstract

Nitrogen, an abundant and yet limiting nutrient for crop and food production, enters the plant as nitrate or ammonium, or as dinitrogen through biological fixation by procaryotes associated with the plant. Nitrogen incorporation into the soil-plant-animal system is ultimately restricted by rates of biological and industrial fixation. Biological fixation conserves fossil fuel, but fertilization is preferred in most present agriculture. Nitrogen-metabolism research has the practical objectives of allowing more efficient N-fertilizer utilization by plants, including those that fix N2 but benefit from fertilizer_N supplements.

Nitrogen accumulation by harvested crops results in changes in soil acidity, with the direction of change depending on the N-source. There is little information on long-term effects of crop N-nutrition on acidity, and acidity is a critical factor that affects agricultural productivity in many tropical soils. Thus, plant control of pH and the acid/base balance in the soil as a consequence of nitrogen uptake and assimilation are important areas of future research.

Resumen

El nitrógeno, abundante pero sin embargo limitante para los cultivos, entra en las plantas en forma de nitrato o amonio o es incorporado al sistema a través de fijación biológica. La incorporación del nitrógeno al sistema suelo-planta-animal está limitado por las tasas de fijación biológica e industrial. La primera ahorra energía fosil pero la segunda fuente es la predominante en la agricultura moderna. La investigación del metabolismo de nitrógeno tiene objetivos prácticos tales como el permitir un uso mas eficiente de los fertilizantes nitrogenados por los cultivos, incluyendo aquellos que puedan fijar N2 pero se benefician de suplementos de fertilizantes nitrogenados.

La acumulación de nitrogeno en los cultivos trae como consecuencia cambios de acidez en el suelo cuya dirección depende de la forma de nitrógeno utilizada. Aun existe poca información sobre los efectos a largo plazo de la fertilización nitrogenada sobre la acidez del suelo, factor que es determinante de la productividad de muchos suelos en los trópicos. Asi pues, el control de pH por las plantas y el balance de acidez en el suelo son areas de interés para futuras investigaciones.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Empresa Brasileria de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA), SNLCS-PFBN-km 47, 23460, Seropédica, Rio de janeiro, Brazil

    A. A. Franco

  2. Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, 95616, Davis, California, USA

    D. N. Muns

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Franco, A.A., Muns, D.N. Plant assimilation and nitrogen cycling. Plant Soil 67, 1–13 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02182751

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