How do agricultural practices impact the nitrogen cycle?

Agricultural practices significantly influence the nitrogen cycle through various means, one of which is contributing to nitrogen input excesses.

In conventional agriculture, practices such as the heavy application of synthetic fertilizers frequently lead to an oversupply of nitrogen in the soil. These fertilizers are designed to boost plant growth by providing readily available nitrogen, but they often exceed the plants' needs. This surplus nitrogen can leach into water bodies, leading to nutrient pollution and problems like algal blooms, which ultimately disrupt aquatic ecosystems.

Additionally, practices that involve cultivating certain crops can result in increased nitrogen runoff and volatilization of nitrogenous compounds into the atmosphere. This situation not only affects soil health by altering its natural nitrogen balance but can also lead to the release of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas.

While nitrogen fixation is an important process, particularly with the use of leguminous cover crops, and natural nitrogen recycling is certainly enhanced by proper soil management, the dominant concern with modern agricultural systems is their contribution to excessive nitrogen inputs.