Nitrogen Is Essential For Life And Plays A Key Role In Food Production

Crops require an adequate supply of nutrients for healthy growth and to maintain satisfactory yields and product quality. The growth and harvest of a crop removes these nutrients from the soil’s reserves, which then must be replenished. 

However, unless preventative measures are taken, nitrogen losses to the atmosphere can occur when these latter products are progressively transformed into the nitrate form in the soil. This increases emissions from the field, reduces their nitrogen-use efficiency and it is harmful for our ecosystems and health. The management of nitrogen is therefore important, especially in agriculture, which is the biggest user of nitrogen in the world.

With the objective to reduce water pollution from loss of nitrogen from agricultural activities the European Union adopted in 1991 the EU Nitrates Directive which was complemented in 2000 by the Water Framework Directive. The directives promote the use of several good agricultural practices to prevent the loss of nitrogen into the environment.

Nitrogen is the most important crop-yield limiting factor in the world, together with water. Nitrogenous fertilizers contain the essential crop nutrient nitrogen (N) in a high-quality mineral form that can be applied with precision for sustainable agricultural production.

Nitrogen management in agriculture aims at achieving agronomic objectives (farm income, high crop and animal productivity) and environmental objectives (minimal N losses) simultaneously.