Nitrogen and the Environment: Nitrogen Guide Part II

You now know that plants can’t use nitrogen until it’s “fixed” into a usable form either by lightning or microbial bacteria and that nitrogen is the best nutrient to feed your plants. Now, because you’ve heard the hype about nitrogen pollution in the news, you’re probably wondering about the effects of nitrogen on the environment. Let’s talk about it.

(In case you missed it, part one of this two-part article series can be found here.) 

Nitrogen in Fertilizer

Before we discuss the effects of nitrogen on the environment, it’s important to distinguish between different sources of nitrogen fertilizer.

To create fertilizer, scientists synthetically fix nitrogen. This reduces the amount of work bacteria and lighting require to make nitrogen into a usable form for plants. While the invention of fertilizer has helped with global food security, it has also wreaked havoc on the environment.

The most common way to produce fertilizer is known as the Haber process. Using this method, scientists heat nitrogen and hydrogen in a pressurized vessel with iron to produce ammonium. This is a strictly-chemical method and the end result is an ammonia-based fertilizer, such as ammonium nitrate or ammonium sulfate. These fertilizers are solid, and while they are relatively cheap to produce, they are prone to uneven fertilization. This means they become runoff, a form of nitrogen pollution. 

For solid fertilizer to work, water must first absorb it. Bouts of heavy rainfall can easily wash away fertilizer pellets into bodies of water, creating a detrimental cascade of problems.

The Effects of Nitrogen on the Environment 

You now know that plants need nitrogen, but did you know that aquatic plants need nitrogen too? They do; however, when fertilizer is introduced into bodies of water, the growth rate of aquatic plants sky-rockets. This causes a rapid cycle of plant growth and death. The accumulation of plants blocks sunlight from reaching the plants living below the surface, which inhibits photosynthesis. 

When plants can’t use photosynthesis, they die. And the surplus of dead plants serves as the perfect food source for aerobic bacteria living in the water. These bacteria, which consume large amounts of oxygen, thrive in this environment and reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. 

The effects of nitrogen on the environment clearly extend to aquatic plant life, but there’s more. 

Now fish and other aquatic life cannot survive, and they suffocate due to a lack of oxygen. With less fish in the ecosystem and less for us to consume, the demand for fishermen decreases, resulting in a reduction of jobs. As you can see, the seemingly tiny impact of using solid fertilizer actually has a very significant effect on the environment, food supply, and even the economy.

In many cases today, we have seen algae overgrowth–another form of nitrogen pollution–in bodies of water all across the nation due to excess nitrogen from fertilizer. You have probably heard the term “algae bloom” before; this is precisely the same phenomena just described. Algae blooms span miles and act as an umbrella, blocking sunlight to aquatic life below.

But now the following question arises: How can enough food be produced for the population without fertilizer?

Feeding the World without Environmental Consequences

Fertilizer is a wonderful creation, and despite the negative effects of nitrogen on the environment, fertilizer has been the key contributor to food security. In fact, developing countries that lack access to fertilizer are struck by waves of hunger and poverty. Really, the problem here is not fertilizer itself, but rather the quantity of fertilizer used.

A key advantage of using xVital over traditional fertilizers is its capacity for precision. Plants can only use so much nitrogen, and whatever they cannot use goes to waste and becomes runoff. For this reason, less is definitely better in the case of fertilizer. So, why not just determine the optimal amount of nitrogen plants require without crossing the threshold of environmental damage?

Using our online calculator, the exact amount of xVital fertilizer can be determined for specific crops. Better yet, because xVital is a liquid fertilizer, it can be measured easily and is absorbed almost instantaneously by the soil and plants’ roots.

Using Nitrate Instead of Ammonium

As mentioned previously, when the Haber process is used to produce chemical fertilizer, ammonium is the source of nitrogen that is created. But plants do not strictly require ammonium to grow; they can use nitrate as well, which is actually the superior form of fixed nitrogen.

Unlike ammonium, nitrate is non-volatile, meaning that it will not evaporate into the air. For that reason, nitrate fertilizer must only be applied to the top of crops and not incorporated throughout the soil. This facilitates application while also reducing the amount of nitrogen that escapes back into the atmosphere.

In addition, nitrate is very mobile in soil, which allows it to reach roots much easier. In other words, plant roots will absorb xVital like a sponge, making it easier to reap the benefits. Not only does this promote more plant growth with less product, but it also means that less nitrogen will become runoff.

You read that right. With xVital, there is no nitrogen pollution, making it ecofriendly. 

Minimizing the Effects of Nitrogen on the Environment 

Furthermore, nitrate helps increase the uptake of other plant nutrients (K,Ca, Mg). Ammonium adversely competes with these nutrients, making it more difficult for plants to take up. For example, if ammonium fertilizer is applied to a crop, that crop may now have enough nitrogen to grow but may become deficient in potassium, calcium, and magnesium. To make nitrate use even more favorable, it is proven that nitrate actually limits plant uptake of harmful elements, such as chlorine. In simpler terms, your plants are getting more of what you want and less of what you don’t!

Lastly, when nitrate is used over ammonium, the amount of work required by the plant is reduced. When ammonium fertilizer is used, it must first undergo a chemical reaction completed by nitrifying bacteria or the plant itself for it to become nitrate. Because xVital is already in the nitrate form, there is no further conversion required before plant use. This reduces plants’ energy expenditure so more energy can be spent growing.

In conclusion, nitrate-based fertilizer is proven to be superior through a multitude of reasons, all of which are rooted in science. xVital, a nitrate solution, can be used in lieu of other nitrogen fertilizers to reduce nitrogen pollution. With your help, we can reduce the effects of nitrogen on the environment. Switch to xVital today for an ecofriendly option!  

 

Sources:

What is Fixed Nitrogen or Nitrogen Fixation?

The Nitrogen Cycle

Nitrate Versus Ammonium

 

 

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