Dpto. Microbiologia del Suelo y Sistemas Simbioticos, Estacion Experimental del Zaidin, Granada, Spain.
Mol Plant Microbe Interact. 2013 May;26(5):486-94. doi: 10.1094/MPMI-12-12-0293-CR.
The intensive application of fertilizers during agricultural practices has led to an unprecedented perturbation of the nitrogen cycle, illustrated by the growing accumulation of nitrates in soils and waters and of nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere. Besides increasing use efficiency of current N fertilizers, priority should be given to value the process of biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) through more sustainable technologies that reduce the undesired effects of chemical N fertilization of agricultural crops. Wider legume adoption, supported by coordinated legume breeding and inoculation programs are approaches at hand. Also available are biofertilizers based on microbes that help to reduce the needs of N fertilization in important crops like cereals. Engineering the capacity to fix nitrogen in cereals, either by themselves or in symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing microbes, are attractive future options that, nevertheless, require more intensive and internationally coordinated research efforts. Although nitrogen-fixing plants may be less productive, at some point, agriculture must significantly reduce the use of warming (chemically synthesized) N and give priority to BNF if it is to sustain both food production and environmental health for a continuously growing human population.
农业实践中化肥的大量应用导致氮循环受到前所未有的干扰，表现在土壤和水中硝酸盐以及大气中氮氧化物的不断积累。除了提高现有氮肥的利用效率外，还应优先重视通过更可持续的技术来实现生物固氮（BNF），减少农业作物化学氮肥的不良影响。广泛采用豆类作物，并通过协调的豆类作物选育和接种计划提供支持，是目前可行的方法。基于微生物的生物肥料也可用于减少重要作物（如谷物）对氮肥的需求。通过自身或与固氮微生物共生来固氮的工程技术是未来具有吸引力的选择，但需要更深入和国际协调的研究工作。尽管固氮植物的生产力可能较低，但在某个时候，如果农业要既能维持粮食生产，又能维持环境健康，以满足不断增长的人口需求，那么就必须大幅减少对变暖（化学合成）氮的使用，并优先考虑生物固氮。
