Nitrogen Management in Crop-Soil-Environment Systems: Pathways Toward Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Agriculture

Area of Science:

• Plant Physiology
• Molecular Biology
• Agronomy

Background:

• Abiotic stresses (drought, salinity, heat, cold, heavy metals) limit global plant productivity.
• Nitrogen (N) is vital not only for nutrition but also as a key regulator of plant stress responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review how nitrogen availability and form impact plant tolerance to major abiotic stresses.
• To synthesize recent molecular and physiological insights into nitrogen's role in stress adaptation.
• To discuss strategies for optimizing nitrogen management to enhance crop resilience.

Main Methods:

• Literature review synthesizing current research on nitrogen and abiotic stress.
• Analysis of nitrogen's role in metabolic reprogramming, osmotic adjustment, and antioxidant defense.
• Integration of physiological, biochemical, and molecular data.

Main Results:

• Nitrogen influences reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging, nitrogen-carbon metabolism, hormonal signaling, and osmoprotectant biosynthesis.
• Nitrogen transporters, nitrate signaling, and nitrogen-use efficiency are critical for stress adaptation.
• Nitrogen management strategies like precision fertilization and genetic approaches can improve stress resilience.

Conclusions:

• Nitrogen plays a central role in mediating plant responses to diverse abiotic stresses.
• Understanding nitrogen's multifaceted functions is key to developing strategies for sustainable agriculture.
• Future research should focus on nitrogen-responsive networks for enhanced crop stress tolerance.