How do you define excess biological nitrogen fixation..??

Nitrogen is biologically stabilized in the soil by organisms that act as a radical contract with legume plants and are normal for these plants but some species of organisms and this process is sometimes sufficient for the plant need of nitrogen fertilization

Hi Anoop,

for example, if you insert in a region a large quantity of a species the make the nitrogen biological fixation, is there any possibility of occurring an excess in this production to the point of having an impact on the environment?

Many thanks, Waqas!

Efficiency of BNF could be observed optimum in tune with optimum N reauirement of crop since such processes are signal - based. No physiological N demand by crop , then no triggering in BNF...

Sharing link:

https://www.nature.com/articles/nrmicro954

Regards!

Hi Nathalia,

In freshwaters and estuaries, there can be problems with "excess" N fixation. If the waterbody has sufficient P, but a shortage of N, it is possible for blooms of N fixing algae to grow. Some of these algae are toxic, and when they die, they can contribute to bottom water hypoxia.

Here are a couple of recent references:

Article Biological Nitrogen Fixation Prevents the Response of a Eutr...

Article The Role of Nitrogen Fixation in Cyanobacterial Bloom Toxici...

Martyn