Role of Nitrogen (N) in Plant Growth, Photosynthesis Pigments, and N Use Efficiency - A Review

Sep 12, 2026

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N is a vital element governing plant growth and development through its central role in numerous metabolic processes. The review examines how nitrogen influences plant growth, yield, chlorophyll pigment levels, and nitrogen use efficiency, with emphasis on agricultural nitrogen status and its effects. Results highlight that nitrogen deficiency harms growth and photosynthesis, while excessive nitrogen lowers product quality. Improved NUE through better management can reduce environmental pollution and raise productivity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Context and Objective

Methods and Results

Conclusions

Introduction

Nitrogen requirements and limitations

Nitrogen forms and impacts

Environmental consequences of nitrogen input

References

Agrisost 􀁟 Vol. 28, January-December 2022: 1-8 ISSN-e: 1025-0247 Role of nitrogen (N) in plant growth, photosynthesis pigments, and N use efficiency: A review Amin Fathi 1 1ORCID [https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7539-0053](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7539-0053), Islamic Azad University, Department of Agronomy, Ph.D. of Agronomy, Ayatollah Amoli Branch, Amol, Iran. Citation: Fathi, A. (2022) . Role of nitrogen (N) in plant growth, photosynthesis pigments, and N use efficiency: A review. Agrisost, 28, 1-8. [https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7438164](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7438164) Received: April 5th, 2022 Accepted: September 13th, 2022 Published: October 4th, 2022 Funding source: Not declared. Conflict of interest: Not declared. Email: [dr.aminfathi@gmail.com](dr.aminfathi@gmail.com) Abstract Context: N is the vital element for the growth and development of plants out of all the required nutritious compounds. This element plays a key role in most plant metabolic processes. Objective: To review the literature related to the role of nitrogen in growth, yields, levels of chlorophyll pigments and efficiency in the use of nitrogen is carried out. Methods: In this article, an attempt has been made to provide a comprehensive review of nitrogen status in agriculture. Also, since nitrogen is the most used element by farmers, this research seeks to know its effects and impact on Nitrogen Use efficiency. Results: N deficiency affects plant growth, photosynthesis, and ultimately production. However, excessive N consumption reduces the quality of the product. Furthermore, N is one of the main components of chlorophyll structure in the plant. Chlorophyll content and N content in plants are closely related. Chlorophyll content plays a vital role in determining the plant's rate of photosynthesis and production. Leaf N content increases when N fertilizer is applied. Higher N content in leaves is associated with higher chlorophyll content and increased chloroplast activity and thus increased photosynthetic productivity. Conclusions: It is possible to reduce environmental pollution and increase productivity by understanding management methods that increase Nitrogen Use efficiency (NUE) . Keywords: Plant growth, Photosynthesis, Environment pollution, Nitrogen use efficiency. Introduction In sustainable agriculture, a new trend is to reduce the use of different inputs, especially chemical inputs, and thereby reduce the adverse effects on the environment. There is no doubt that N is one of the essential elements for plant growth and that its deficiency is one of the most important factors limiting crop production worldwide (Fathi & Zeidali, 2021) . N fertilizers provide food directly or indirectly to half the world's population(Yadav et al., 2017) . The amount of synthetic N applied to crops has increased dramatically over the past 40 years, leading to significant yield increases with a significant environmental impact(McAllister et al., 2012) . Currently, it is estimated that rice, wheat, and corn consume more than 90% of all N fertilizer applied to cereals (Yadav et al. , 2017) . An oversupply of N leads to various consequences for the soil and the environment, while an undersupply is associated with poor crop production. Farmers need to apply large amounts of N fertilizer to crops because only 30-50% of the N is recovered due to the various losses in the soil-plant system (Fageria, 2002) . To meet this high crop N demand, growers worldwide use about 120 million tons of N fertilizer each year (Yadav et al., 2017) . There is a general N deficiency in almost all agricultural soils and cropping systems globally, making the use of external N supply (N fertilizer) essential to produce the crops that meet the everincreasing demand of the human population (Mohan et al., 2015) . Although N2 gas makes up about 78% of the gaseous composition of the atmosphere, crops cannot use this element as such unless it is conver

FAQs

What role does nitrogen play in plant growth and development?

Nitrogen is essential for plant growth and development and supports key metabolic processes in plants.

How do nitrogen deficiency and excess affect plants?

Nitrogen deficiency reduces plant growth and photosynthesis, while excessive nitrogen consumption can diminish product quality.

What is nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and why does it matter?

NUE reflects how effectively plants use nitrogen for productivity. Improving NUE helps increase yield and reduce environmental pollution.

Sep 12, 2026

Upload by Noah