Nitrogen Interaction with Other Nutrients - Nitrogen Management in Crop Production - page 274

negative (antagonistic), and absent or neutral, depending on the nutrients and concentrations involved.
Nutrient interaction is influenced by environmental factors. Environmental factors influencing nutrient
interactions are climate and soil. In addition, nutrient interaction is also influenced by plant species
and genotypes within species. These factors affect plant growth and development and thereby nutrient
interactions. Furthermore, crop management practices can modify nutrient uptake by plants and hence
influence nutrient interaction. In addition, soil microbial properties have profound effects on plant
nutrient uptake through their effect on nutrient accumulation, depletion, immobilization, mineraliza-
tion, and pH of the rhizosphere. Hence, these factors have a significant effect on nutrient interaction in
crop plants. The interaction among major or macronutrients is generally positive and among micronu-
trients negative. However, there may be some exception in both groups of nutrients.
Interaction of N with other nutrients is also affected by the form of N absorption by plants
(NO 3 -N and NH 4 -N). For example, the interaction of K with N is more with NO 3 -N compared to
NH 4 -N. The uptake of N is adversely affected by salt-affected soils. In the salt-affected environ-
ment, plants are required to absorb essential nutrients from a dilute source in the presence of
highly concentrated nonessential nutrients. Further, among the nutrients, N is one of the most
widely limiting elements for crop production, when plants are subjected to salt stress. Based on
a review of the literature, N has a positive interaction with most of the essential plant nutrients,
except under saline soil conditions. Hence, adequate management of N is supposed to improve the
uptake of other essential nutrients and consequently higher yields. In addition, a balanced supply
of other nutrients with N can also improve biological N fixation in legumes, reduce the infestation
of diseases and insects in cereals and legumes, and have a favorable influence on the crop quality
and biochemical constituents of the produce. In addition, a balanced supply of N with other essen-
tial nutrients improves NUE and reduces the risk of environmental pollution. Balanced nutrient
supply also controls many diseases and improves insect resistance and consequently improves the
yield and NUE.
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