Sustainable agriculture nitrogen

The aroma compounds from the tropical fruits described in this chapter can be very important for consumers and industry as they are exotic and extremely pleasant however, the production of these compounds by biotechnological processes should be emphasised since the extraction from the fruits is a hard task. Many tropical soils contain less nitrogen and phosphorus, have lower capacity to absorb fertilisers, and therefore have lower conventional productive capacity, but some tropical soils have been very intensively farmed and further intensification is possible in other areas. Thus, the evaluation of a sustainable agriculture in tropical regions requires a sophisticated approach including the estimation of the risk of microbial or insect infestations. As many fruits go directly to fresh markets or to immediate processing, a continuing supply of the flavour manufacturers in the future is not completely assured. 

Legocki. A., H. Bothe, and A. Puhler Biological Fixation of Nitrogen for Ecology arid Sustainable Agriculture, Springer-Verlag, Inc., New Yoik. NY, 1997. 

Remark whereas in organic farming mineral nitrogen fertilizers, herbicides or conventional pesticides are forbidden, they are allowed in other so-called environmental friendly system approaches, e.g. sustainable agriculture or conservation agriculture (see Dumanski et al. 2006). 

How have agriculture and deforestation changed the global rates of nitrogen fixation and denitrification How can increased agricultural productivity be sustained without using industrially produced fertilizers ... 

Most agricultural wastes contain valuable nutrients that could be recycled back onto the land in order to improve soil fertility and increase the sustainability of farming systems. For example, in South Australia there are over 400000 pigs that produce about 2400ML of waste annually and this waste contains enough nitrogen to fertilise about 200000ha of wheat or barley. 

The efficient and economical use of natural resources is the prerequisite for sustainable and environmentally sensitive agriculture. The resources detailed in this section are the growth factors nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and water. Energy use will also be considered in this context as an indirect factor. 

Beever D. Brentrup F. Eveilard P. Fixen P. Heffer P. Flerz B. Larson R. and Palliere C. (2007). Sustainable Management of the Nitrogen Cycle in Agriculture and Mitigation of Reactive Nitrogen Side Effects. IFA, Paris, 32 pp. 

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