The Importance of Biological Nitrogen Fixation in Cropping Systems in Nonindustrialized Nations

Mafongoya, Paramu; Mpepereki, S.; Mudyazhezha, Simbarashe

doi:10.2134/agronmonogr52.c12

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…There is a need to work in a holistic way on the entire cropping system to maximize the benefits of BNF to cropping systems in the developing countries (Mafongoya et al 2009) [11] . We need further research on the following:i) Below-ground contribution of nitrogen by various legumes; ii) Research on soil factors such as P and water availability, which affect growth of legumes and BNF.…”

Section: Future Prospect Of Bnfmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…viii) The non-rotational effects of legume-cereal rotations ix) Better assessments of nitrogen balances in legumebased systems. x) Increased inoculation efficiency of legumes with rhizobia under farmer field conditions; xi) Quantification of the role of legumes in improving soil chemical, physical, and biological properties (Mafongoya et al 2009) [11] .…”

Section: Future Prospect Of Bnfmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biological nitrogen fixation: Reducing the N footprints of the environment

Roy,

Haque,

Samanta

et al. 2024

Int. J. Adv. Biochem. Res.

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Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) is a vital ecological process where certain microorganisms, such as bacteria and archaea, convert atmospheric nitrogen gas into ammonia, which can be used by plants as a nutrient. The French chemist Antoine Lavoisier gave the name "azote" which translates to "without life" to the element nitrogen. Contrarily, it has been demonstrated that this component is present in all living things. The amount of nitrogen that is available to the plant has a big impact on how productive the crop is. Nitrogen is an important macronutrient, which plays an important role in the growth and development of plants. It is a major component of chlorophyll, the most important pigment needed for photosynthesis, as well as amino acids, the key building blocks of proteins. Due to its energy intensive manufacture, impact on air and water quality, soil and water acidification, and climate change, nitrogen-like fertilizer production and overuse come at a significant financial and environmental cost. There are significant potential gains to reduce our dependence on nitrogen fertilization in agriculture. BNF is an environmentally friendly solution to address nitrogen deficiencies and increase crop production. BNF is the only natural process that converts atmospheric nitrogen into biologically useful forms. Nitrogenfixing bacteria support soil fertility by living in the soil or creating symbiotic interactions with plants, which in turn promotes the growth of numerous crops. This organic process is essential for maintaining global nitrogen cycles, agricultural production, and ecosystems health. It also lessens the demand for synthetic fertilizers.

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Section: Future Prospect Of Bnfmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Future Prospect Of Bnfmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological nitrogen fixation: Reducing the N footprints of the environment

Roy,

Haque,

Samanta

et al. 2024

Int. J. Adv. Biochem. Res.

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“…Controlling water erosion (soil protection by surface litter and canopy cover) [101,164,165] Reducing wind erosion (through the use of windbreaks), especially in dry areas [98,101,164,165] Improving soil fertility and nutrient cycling through decomposition of litter, prunings, crop residues, deep nutrient capture, reduced leaching and BNF [46,151,[164][165][166][167][168][169][170] Improving SOM and soil carbon storage up to deeper soil layers [151,165,166,169,171,172] Reducing runoff and increasing infiltration [101,173,174] Restoring degraded land [21,101,175] Breaking up of compacted soil layers and creation of biopores by deep roots of trees, and improvement of water infiltration [164,165,176] Reducing water losses through non-productive evaporation [77,177] Redistributing moisture within the soil profile through the "Hydraulic Redistribution" mechanism [178][179][180][181][182] Improving soil microbial status and dynamics [150,169,174] 5. Agroforestry parks are widespread in SSA, as traditional AFSs where va...…”

Section: Benefits Referencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The research community must address many other challenges related to the practice and dissemination of AF in Africa. Despite the substantial advancements in biophysical agroforestry research in Africa over the last decades, there are still science gaps to fill [167]. According to Mbow et al [151], there are several knowledge gaps regarding which tree species work best under a given site; the synergistic interactions/compromises associated with different tree-crop-site combinations; the most effective extension methods for promoting AF; the best AFPs in terms of healthy and ecologically functional landscapes; the optimization of ecosystem services provided by AFSs; the behavior of AFSs in the face of climate change; the benefits of AFSs in terms of climate change adaptation compared to other land uses; and the potential benefits of AF to improve farmers' incomes through carbon payments.…”

Section: Other Challenges To Be Addressed By Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil and Water Conservation in Africa: State of Play and Potential Role in Tackling Soil Degradation and Building Soil Health in Agricultural Lands

et al. 2022

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Africa’s lands are largely vulnerable and threatened by soil degradation and low water availability, especially in semi-arid and arid regions, limiting crop and livestock productivity and farmer livelihood options. Therefore, in African agricultural lands, adopting/improving measures that conserve soil and water resources is crucial. This review aims to provide an update on soil and water conservation (SWC) in terms of farmer practices and research actions and explore how SWC technologies and practices represent a pathway to build or re-establish soil health and enhance sustainable agriculture in Africa. It also aims to increase knowledge on best-fit SWC approaches. Soil conservation, which includes measures of controlling soil erosion and maintaining or improving soil fertility, is inseparable from water conservation. On agricultural lands, the two are typically co-addressed. Increasing plant biomass production through improved water, crop and soil management practices, and managing this biomass judiciously, have direct and indirect impacts on conserving soils and water resources, particularly in drylands. This study focuses on rainfed agricultural systems. We discuss the barriers and challenges to scaling up best-bet SWC technological and management options. Moreover, we show that options, such as Conservation Agriculture (CA), Agroforestry (AF), as well as integrated soil fertility management (ISFM) and field-scale rainwater harvesting (RWH), remain promising for the preservation and improvement of soil health in Africa’s farmlands and improving the resilience of agrosystems to climate change and variability as well as droughts.

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“…Indeed, N 2 -fixing leguminous plants form the most significant natural pathway to introduce nitrogen into the biosphere along with their enormous contribution to soil fertility (Drevon et al, 2001;Mwanamwenge et al, 1998). Recently, there has been a growing level of interest in environmentally friendly sustainable agricultural practices and organic farming systems (Bhattacharyya and Jha, 2012;Mafongoya et al, 2009;Peoples, 2009). Through its symbiosis with rhizobia, nodulating chickpea could be cultivated in many nitrogen-deficient soils in many countries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Approaches for enhancement of N₂ fixation efficiency of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under limiting nitrogen conditions

Esfahani

Sulieman

Schulze

et al. 2013

Plant Biotechnology Journal

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SummaryChickpea (Cicer arietinum) is an important pulse crop in many countries in the world. The symbioses between chickpea and Mesorhizobia, which fix N 2 inside the root nodules, are of particular importance for chickpea's productivity. With the aim of enhancing symbiotic efficiency in chickpea, we compared the symbiotic efficiency of C-15, Ch-191 and CP-36 strains of Mesorhizobium ciceri in association with the local elite chickpea cultivar 'Bivanij' as well as studied the mechanism underlying the improvement of N 2 fixation efficiency. Our data revealed that C-15 strain manifested the most efficient N 2 fixation in comparison with Ch-191 or CP-36. This finding was supported by higher plant productivity and expression levels of the nifHDK genes in C-15 nodules. Nodule specific activity was significantly higher in C-15 combination, partially as a result of higher electron allocation to N 2 versus H + . Interestingly, a striking difference in nodule carbon and nitrogen composition was observed. Sucrose cleavage enzymes displayed comparatively lower activity in nodules established by either Ch-191 or CP-36. Organic acid formation, particularly that of malate, was remarkably higher in nodules induced by C-15 strain. As a result, the best symbiotic efficiency observed with C-15-induced nodules was reflected in a higher concentration of the total and several major amino metabolites, namely asparagine, glutamine, glutamate and aspartate. Collectively, our findings demonstrated that the improved efficiency in chickpea symbiotic system, established with C-15, was associated with the enhanced capacity of organic acid formation and the activities of the key enzymes connected to the nodule carbon and nitrogen metabolism.

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The Importance of Biological Nitrogen Fixation in Cropping Systems in Nonindustrialized Nations

Cited by 5 publications

References 37 publications

Biological nitrogen fixation: Reducing the N footprints of the environment

Biological nitrogen fixation: Reducing the N footprints of the environment

Soil and Water Conservation in Africa: State of Play and Potential Role in Tackling Soil Degradation and Building Soil Health in Agricultural Lands

Approaches for enhancement of N₂ fixation efficiency of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under limiting nitrogen conditions

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The Importance of Biological Nitrogen Fixation in Cropping Systems in Nonindustrialized Nations

Cited by 5 publications

References 37 publications

Biological nitrogen fixation: Reducing the N footprints of the environment

Biological nitrogen fixation: Reducing the N footprints of the environment

Soil and Water Conservation in Africa: State of Play and Potential Role in Tackling Soil Degradation and Building Soil Health in Agricultural Lands

Approaches for enhancement of N2 fixation efficiency of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under limiting nitrogen conditions

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Approaches for enhancement of N₂ fixation efficiency of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under limiting nitrogen conditions