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Nitrogen supply and crop yield: The global scene

La provisión de nitrógeno a los cultivos y su rendimiento: Una visión general

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Abstract

Agricultural yields are limited by acute deficiencies of at least one major nutrient in those parts of the world where most people live. Crop responses to fertilizer are invariably considerable and average yields per ha of cereals (the main component of man's food) in the major countries are nearly proportional to the amounts of N+P2O5+K2O applied as fertilizer. Often responses to nitrogen fertilizer are restricted by shortage of some other nutrient, but in West Europe where the soils are well endowed with phosphorus, potassium and sulphur average yields of wheat per country are almost directly proportional to the level of N-fertilizer applied.

Much N-fertilizer is wasted because of difficulties in forecasting levels and methods of application for different conditions. Predictions based on simple statistical interpretation of the results of field trials have proved to be unsatisfactory. The new mechanistic modelling approaches that take far greater account of existing principles about key processes have been more successful.

Nitrogen recycling is small in existing agriculture and there is much scope for improvement. Biological fixation provides much nitrogen for world agriculture. Under the right conditions legumes can fix at least 300 kg N ha−1 yr−1, which is more than sufficient for maximum growth. A major drawback of legumes, however, is that grain yields are inherently much lower than those of cereals.

Sufficient N-fertilizer to grow all the food required for mankind can be synthesised from only 2% of the present world consumption of fossil fuel. Despite massive increases in oil prices, the cost of nitrogen fertilizer relative to that of food has remained virtually unchanged. It is still very profitable to apply nitrogen fertilizer in most parts of the world.

Serious problems in the future are likely to result from essential resources (energy and minerals) being very unevenly distributed in relation to where they are needed to grow food.

Resumen

Los rendimientos de los cultivos están limitados en la agricultura por severas deficiencias de por lo menos uno de los nutrimentos principales en aquellas regiones del mundo donde vive una major proporción de la población. La respuesta de los cultivos a la fertilización es en general apreciable tanto que los rendimientos promedios de los cereales, la principal fuente alimenticia del hombre, son casi proporcionales al las cantidades de N+P2O5+K aplicadas en los principales paises productores. Frecuentemente la respuesta a los fertilizantes nitrogenades se ven limitadas por deficiencias en otro nutrimento pero en Europa Occidental, donde los suelos están bien dotados de fósforo, potasio y azufre, los rendimientos promedio de trigo son casi directamente proporcionales a los niveles de N aplicado.

Debido a las dificultades para pronosticar los niveles y métodos de aplicación apropiados para condiciones diferentes, gran parte del nitrógeno aplicado no es aprovechado. Las predicciones basadas en interpretaciones estadísticas de ensayos de campo han dado resultados poco satisfactorios mientras que los nuevos métodos basados en modelos mecanísticos que prestan mayor atención a los principios que controlan procesos claves, han dado mejores resultados.

Muy poca proporción del nitrógeno aplicado en la agricultura actual es reutilizado y existen grandes oportunidades de obtener mejoras en este respecto. Bajo condiciones adecuadas las leguminosas pueden fijar cantidades importantes de nitrógeno (ca. 300 kg ha−1 año−1) que son mas que suficiente para obtener crecimientos máximos, sin embargo las leguminosas tienen la gran desventaja de rendir inherentemente menos que los cereales. La cantidad de abono nitrogenado necesario para producir suficiente alimento para la humanidad, puede ser sintetizado utilizando solo el 2% del consumo mundial de combustible fósil. A pesar de grandes aumentos en los precios del petroleo, el precio del abono nitrogenado se ha mantenido casi constante en relación al de los alimentos. Aun sigue siendo muy ventajoso aplicar abonos nitrogenados en la agricultura de la mayor parte del mundo.

Algunos problemas graves en el futuro podrían presentarse como resultado de la mala distribución de recursos esenciales tales como energía y minerales en relación a los sitios de mayor demanda por la agricultura.

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  1. National Vegetable Research Station, Wellesbourne, Warwick, UK

    D. J. Greenwood

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Greenwood, D.J. Nitrogen supply and crop yield: The global scene. Plant Soil 67, 45–59 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02182754

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