NEBRASKA: EPSCoR researchers publish new study on nitrogen fertilization in crop production

Nebraska EPSCoR Center for Root and Rhizobiome Innovation researcher Jinliang Yang and others have recently published, “Estimating the genetic parameters of yield-related traits under different nitrogen conditions in maize,” in bioRxiv.

Nitrogen (N), as a fundamental macronutrient, is a major constituent of proteins, nucleic acid, and metabolites and is critical for the high yielding of crops. Since the 1960s, subsequent to the Green Revolution, due to the Haber-Bosch process, inorganic N fertilizers became increasingly available for crop production, especially in maize, where about 20% of the N fertilizers was applied for maize production. However, inefficient N usage causes ammonia emission to the environment, accounting for a considerable proportion of fine particulate matter pollution (i.e., PM2.5) and reducing human population life span. Meanwhile, N runoff imposes substantial adverse effects on natural ecosystems, such as reduced water quality and impaired soil health. Therefore, understanding the plant response to N in crop production is crucial for human health, food security, and environmental sustainability and is a long-standing research topic in plant breeding and genetics.