Improving nitrogen use efficiency in crop production (Burleigh Dodds Series in Agricultural Science, 150)

“This book is a jewel, its many facets revealing the full range of advanced technical and technological data and innovative strategies in nitrogen management aimed at improving agricultural productivity and supporting sustainable and resilient agriculture, while also minimizing negative environmental impacts in line with sustainable development goals.” (Book Review Published in International Journal of Environmental Studies – Professor Nadia Boutaleb, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Morocco)

In the last 60 years fertiliser use in agriculture has increased by 900%. However, it’s been reported that up to 80% of these fertilisers are not utilised by crops but are lost to the environment as nitrous oxide, ammonia and nitrate. Improving nitrogen use efficiency is recognised as one possible solution to reducing the sector’s environmental impact and optimising its productivity and sustainability in the face of increasing pressure to feed a growing population.

Improving nitrogen use efficiency in crop production reviews recent advances in understanding nitrogen cycling in soil as well as advances in monitoring nitrogen status and synchronising fertiliser application. The book also considers developments in inorganic fertilisers to improve nitrogen use efficiency, as well as how more organic sources of nitrogen, such as livestock manure, can be optimised to achieve the same goal.

Professor Jagdish Kumar Ladha is Adjunct Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of California-Davis, USA and is internationally renowned for his pioneering research on sustainable resource use in agriculture. In addition to numerous awards for his research, he is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Indian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Crop Science Society of America, the American Society of Agronomy, and the Soil Science Society of America. Professor Ladha is also co-Editor in Chief of Field Crops Research.

Dr N. Raghuram is a Professor and Founder-Head of the Centre for Sustainable Nitrogen and Nutrient management, School of Biotechnology, Guru Gobind Singh University, New Delhi. He was formerly the Dean of Biotechnology and Chair of the International Nitrogen Initiative (INI). He edited several special issues of international journals on NUE and sustainable N management, and currently is the Editor in Chief of Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants. He is a steering committee member of the UNEP Global partnership on Nutrient Management (GPNM).

Professor Deli Chen is the discipline leader in the Soil and the Environment Research Group, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Director of ARC Research Hub for Smart Fertilisers, and Director of the Australia China Joint Research Centre, Healthy Soils for Sustainable Food Production and Environmental Quality. He has expertise in water and nutrient dynamics in plant-soil systems, GIS based agroecosystem modelling and decision support systems for optimal irrigation and fertilizer management, and the measures, models and mitigates greenhouse gas emissions from land sources, enhanced efficiency N fertilizers, agricultural ‘big data’ and sustainable indices.

Dr Janke is a soil scientist with a research focus on understanding the interaction of soil bio-physico-chemical properties with nutrient cycling and availability. She is interested in identifying solutions for sustainable agricultural production which both counter and future-proof against changing climates.

David Pannell is Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Western Australia; Director, Co-Centre for Environmental Economics and Policy; ARC Federation Fellow (2007-2012); Distinguished Fellow and past president of the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society; Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia; and a Director of Natural Decisions Pty Ltd. His research includes the economics of land, water and nature conservation; environmental policy; farmer adoption of conservation practices; risk; and economics of farming systems. David has won awards for his research in the USA, Australia, Canada and the UK, including the 2009 Eureka Prize for Interdisciplinary Research.