A framework for nitrogen futures in the shared socioeconomic pathways

Kanter, David; Winiwarter, Wilfried; Bodirsky, Benjamin Leon; Bouwman, Lex; Boyer, Elizabeth W.; Buckle, Simon; Compton, Jana E.; Dalgaard, Tommy; Vries, Wim de; Leclère, David; Leip, Adrian; Müller, Christoph; Popp, Alexander; Raghuram, Nandula; Rao, Shilpa; Sutton, Mark A.; Tian, Hanqin; Westhoek, H.; Xin, Zhang; Zurek, Monika

doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.102029

Cited by 41 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Non-industrial/small farms would either deliver manure to central processing facilities or extend grazing of animals. Furthermore, to reduce nitrogen losses, policies would aim to increase nitrogen use efficiency by optimizing nutrient additions to crop requirements and by minimizing excess protein in animal feed, to reach the maximum nitrogen use values supported in the scientific literature [ 58 ]. Also, well-managed and healthy animal stocks that are genetically well adapted to the local environment could simultaneously enhance productivity, fertility and longevity.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing global air pollution: the scope for further policy interventions

Amann

Kiesewetter

Schöpp

et al. 2020

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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Over the last decades, energy and pollution control policies combined with structural changes in the economy decoupled emission trends from economic growth, increasingly also in the developing world. It is found that effective implementation of the presently decided national pollution control regulations should allow further economic growth without major deterioration of ambient air quality, but will not be enough to reduce pollution levels in many world regions. A combination of ambitious policies focusing on pollution controls, energy and climate, agricultural production systems and addressing human consumption habits could drastically improve air quality throughout the world. By 2040, mean population exposure to PM2.5 from anthropogenic sources could be reduced by about 75% relative to 2015 and brought well below the WHO guideline in large areas of the world. While the implementation of the proposed technical measures is likely to be technically feasible in the future, the transformative changes of current practices will require strong political will, supported by a full appreciation of the multiple benefits. Improved air quality would avoid a large share of the current 3–9 million cases of premature deaths annually. At the same time, the measures that deliver clean air would also significantly reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and contribute to multiple UN sustainable development goals. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Air quality, past present and future’.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing global air pollution: the scope for further policy interventions

Amann

Kiesewetter

Schöpp

et al. 2020

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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“…Much of the remaining N is lost from agricultural land to the surrounding environment, where it damages sensitive ecosystems, reduces air quality, and contributes to climate change, with costs to biodiversity, fisheries, human health, and societal infrastructure (Sutton et al, 2013). Anthropogenic reactive-N compounds are readily assimilated by plants and other organisms, and have doubled the flux of N in the global N cycle, taking us beyond what is considered a safe operating space for humanity (Rockstrom et al, 2009;Canfield et al, 2010;Steffen et al, 2015;Kanter et al, 2020). The United Nations (UN) Environment Programme has identified excessive reactive N as one of five emerging threats facing the planet (Sutton et al, 2019), such that the fourth UN Environment Assembly (March 2019) adopted a resolution on "Sustainable N management.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Research Road Map for Responsible Use of Agricultural Nitrogen

Udvardi

Below

Castellano

et al. 2021

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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Nitrogen (N) is an essential but generally limiting nutrient for biological systems. Development of the Haber-Bosch industrial process for ammonia synthesis helped to relieve N limitation of agricultural production, fueling the Green Revolution and reducing hunger. However, the massive use of industrial N fertilizer has doubled the N moving through the global N cycle with dramatic environmental consequences that threaten planetary health. Thus, there is an urgent need to reduce losses of reactive N from agriculture, while ensuring sufficient N inputs for food security. Here we review current knowledge related to N use efficiency (NUE) in agriculture and identify research opportunities in the areas of agronomy, plant breeding, biological N fixation (BNF), soil N cycling, and modeling to achieve responsible, sustainable use of N in agriculture. Amongst these opportunities, improved agricultural practices that synchronize crop N demand with soil N availability are low-hanging fruit. Crop breeding that targets root and shoot physiological processes will likely increase N uptake and utilization of soil N, while breeding for BNF effectiveness in legumes will enhance overall system NUE. Likewise, engineering of novel N-fixing symbioses in non-legumes could reduce the need for chemical fertilizers in agroecosystems but is a much longer-term goal. The use of simulation modeling to conceptualize the complex, interwoven processes that affect agroecosystem NUE, along with multi-objective optimization, will also accelerate NUE gains.

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“…These should include systems that do not solely rely on mineral N fertilizer but also consider organic matter for plant N nutrition, like organic farming or conservation agriculture, and the need of amino acid transporters for N uptake. Further, to improve NUE for a sustainable agriculture, future climate and environmental changes will need to be addressed (Nguyen et al, 2017 ; Kanter et al, 2020 ). For example, exposure of crop plants to drought stress will not only require adjustments with respect to N uptake, partitioning, and metabolic processes, but also other physiological as well as morphological changes.…”

Section: Conclusion and Future Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Targeting Nitrogen Metabolism and Transport Processes to Improve Plant Nitrogen Use Efficiency

2021

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In agricultural cropping systems, relatively large amounts of nitrogen (N) are applied for plant growth and development, and to achieve high yields. However, with increasing N application, plant N use efficiency generally decreases, which results in losses of N into the environment and subsequently detrimental consequences for both ecosystems and human health. A strategy for reducing N input and environmental losses while maintaining or increasing plant performance is the development of crops that effectively obtain, distribute, and utilize the available N. Generally, N is acquired from the soil in the inorganic forms of nitrate or ammonium and assimilated in roots or leaves as amino acids. The amino acids may be used within the source organs, but they are also the principal N compounds transported from source to sink in support of metabolism and growth. N uptake, synthesis of amino acids, and their partitioning within sources and toward sinks, as well as N utilization within sinks represent potential bottlenecks in the effective use of N for vegetative and reproductive growth. This review addresses recent discoveries in N metabolism and transport and their relevance for improving N use efficiency under high and low N conditions.

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A framework for nitrogen futures in the shared socioeconomic pathways

Cited by 41 publications

References 45 publications

Reducing global air pollution: the scope for further policy interventions

Reducing global air pollution: the scope for further policy interventions

A Research Road Map for Responsible Use of Agricultural Nitrogen

Targeting Nitrogen Metabolism and Transport Processes to Improve Plant Nitrogen Use Efficiency

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