Nitrogen Management Options: Challenges, Potentials, and Prospects

Nitrogen (N) is widely used in agriculture for increasing crop yields and plays an important role in human nutrition, but its use efficiency is 20–40%, and the rest of the portions go to the environment through different loss processes. Excessive and ineffective use of N raises the cost of production and brings manifold threats to the environment. Unexploited reactive N (Nr) degrades soil health, augments environmental menace, and increases greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming and climate change. Therefore, improving N use efficiency (NUE) food and feed crop production systems is necessary for sustainable agriculture and a healthy environment. This study attempted to prepare a compendium of available N management options, analyzed their performances and shortfalls, recommended some viable technologies for farmers’ practice, and envisaged for future innovative N guidance. Global scientists thirst for innovating location-specific best management options to raise NUE to minimize its waste by 50%. Different N management practices, viz., 3–4 split application, integrated nutrient management, legume-based cropping systems, genetic improvement of crops, nitrification and urea inhibitors, are all important techniques to improve NUE. Fertilizer recommendations using Android-based N apps would be challenging but inspiring. A holistic approach in selecting guidance that considers locally available resources, farmers’ interests, economics, and the environment might be effective for better N management and higher NUE.