SUSTAINABLE NITROGEN MANAGEMENT IN AUSTRALIAN AGROECOSYSTEMS: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

doi:10.15302/J-FASE-2022447

Front. Agr. Sci. Eng.

2022, Vol. 9

Issue (3) : 366-372 https://doi.org/10.15302/J-FASE-2022447

REVIEW

SUSTAINABLE NITROGEN MANAGEMENT IN AUSTRALIAN AGROECOSYSTEMS: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Xia LIANG¹(

), Helen SUTER¹, Shu Kee LAM¹, Charlie WALKER², Roya KHALIL², Deli CHEN¹

¹. School of Agriculture and Food, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia
². Incitec Pivot Fertilisers, Freshwater Place, Southbank, Victoria, 3006, Australia

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Abstract

● There is huge potential for improvement of nitrogen management in Australia.

● N management should incorporate environmental, social and economic sustainability.

● Agronomic, ecological and socioeconomic approaches and efforts are needed.

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient that supports life, but excess N in the human-environment system causes multiple adverse effects from the local to the global scale. Sustainable N management in agroecosystems, therefore, has become more and more critical to address the increasing concern over food security, environmental quality and climate change. Australia is facing a serious challenge for sustainable N management due to its emission-intensive lifestyle (high level of animal-source foods and fossil fuels consumption) and its diversity of agricultural production systems, from extensive rainfed grain systems with mining of soil N to intensive crop and animal production systems with excessive use of N. This paper reviews the major challenges and future opportunities for making Australian agrifood systems more sustainable, less polluting and more profitable.

Keywords Australian agroecosystems reactive nitrogen sustainable development

Corresponding Author(s): Xia LIANG

About author:

Tongcan Cui and Yizhe Hou contributed equally to this work.

Just Accepted Date: 22 April 2022 Online First Date: 26 May 2022 Issue Date: 09 September 2022

Cite this article:

Xia LIANG,Helen SUTER,Shu Kee LAM, et al. SUSTAINABLE NITROGEN MANAGEMENT IN AUSTRALIAN AGROECOSYSTEMS: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES[J]. Front. Agr. Sci. Eng. , 2022, 9(3): 366-372.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fase/EN/10.15302/J-FASE-2022447
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fase/EN/Y2022/V9/I3/366

Fig.1 Changes in N fertilizer use (a) and cereal yield (b) in Australia and the world. The sources are International Fertilizer Association^[12] and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Statistical Databases^[11].

Tab.1 Estimated N inputs and outputs (Tg·yr⁻¹) to agricultural production systems in Australia and the world in early 2010

Fig.2 Technical and socioeconomic solutions for sustainable nitrogen management in Australia.

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