Breeding for Macronutrient Use Efficiency (NTUE) in Legumes

Abstract

Increasing population warrants increasing food crop productivity with a minimum input cost. The usage of inorganic fertilizers is inevitable in modern agriculture cropping systems. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are the major nutrients used by agriculturalists worldwide since the effect of these nutrients is highly significant on crop productivity; therefore, it is crucial to use them in an optimized way to make farming economically sustainable. The capacity of crops to absorb nutrients and efficiently utilize them is known as nutrient use efficiency (NtUE). The NtUE of plants would reduce the usage of synthetic fertilizers, reduce the nutrient leaches into the environment, and increase crop productivity. The development of optimum biomass-producing and nutrient-efficient crop varieties are the key for rational agriculture.