Toward the Recent Advances in Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE): Strategies to Improve Phosphorus Availability to Plants

Abstract

Achieving high nutrient use efficiency (NUE) and high crop productivity has become a challenge with increased global demand for food, depletion of natural resources, and deterioration of environmental conditions. Higher NUE by plants could reduce fertilizer input costs, decrease the rate of nutrient losses, and enhance crop yields. Nitrogen and Phosphorus are the most limiting nutrients for crop production in many of the world’s agricultural areas, and their efficient use is important for the economic sustainability of cropping systems. Furthermore, the dynamic nature of N and P in soil-plant systems creates a unique and challenging environment for its efficient management. Although numerous fertilizer recommendation methods have been proposed to improve NUE, technologies and innovative management practices are still lacking. Therefore, maximizing crop phosphorus (P) use efficiency (PUE) would be helpful in reducing the use of inorganic phosphorus fertilizers and their escape in the environment for sustainable agriculture. Improvement of PUE in cropping systems can be achieved through two main strategies: optimizing agronomic practice and breeding nutrient efficient crop cultivars that improves P-acquisition and -utilization efficiency. These strategies are needed for future food security and sustainable agriculture. The major revised points are the following: concept of NUE, application of nutrient stewardship, cereal-legume intercropping, regulating soil pH, etc., for enhancing phyto-availability of P and breeding P-efficient crop cultivars that can produce more biomass with lesser P costs and that acquire more P in P-stress condition. These approaches consider economic, social, and environmental dimensions essential to sustainable agricultural systems and afford a suitable context for specific NUE indicators.

Water Availability and Land Management Control Catchment‐Scale Agricultural Nitrogen and Phosphorous Use Efficiencies

“…In addition to crop‐rotation strategies, adjusting fertilization methods and rates to better suit specific crops as well as using targeted crop species that are more efficient in nutrient use can also increase yields (Ebbisa, 2022; Guo et al., 2020; Pan et al., 2022). Improving such local to regional farmland management strategies could lead to a reduced need for fertilizers and improve both the quality of soil and water resources as well as enhancing future food production at local‐global scales (Billen et al., 2021; Chang et al., 2021).…”

Recent trends in nitrogen cycle and eco-efficient nitrogen management strategies in aerobic rice system

“…Improvements in NUE under aerobic rice systems and other non-N 2 -fixing crops are required to fulfill the future food requirements of the projected inflation in the population via improved and modified N-use efficient varieties along with other crops, irrigation, and fertilizer management practices ( Mboyerwa et al, 2021 ). Management practices that focus on improving plant N uptake and NUE involve irrigation methods, fertilizer input management, crop variety management in terms of water and NUE, plant N uptake management, use of controlled-release N fertilizers, use of NIs and urease inhibitors for synthetic N fertilizers, and other agronomic integrative crop management approaches ( Pan et al, 2017 ; Gweyi-Onyango et al, 2021 ; Williams et al, 2021 ; Ebbisa, 2022 ; Ma X. et al, 2022 ). Several studies regarding NUE have demonstrated that it is majorly associated with the type and method of fertilizer inputs, irrigation methods, availability of soil N, and plant N uptake ( Ye et al, 2013 ; Rawal et al, 2022 ).…”