Date of Award
2013
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Chemistry
Committee Chair
Pamela Twigg
Committee Member
Robert McFeeters
Committee Member
Upendra Singh
Subject(s)
Nitrification, Leaching, Nitrogen fertilizers, Plant-soil relationships, Nitrogen cycle, Soils--Nitrogen content, Plants (Effect of nitrogen on), Oxidoreductases
Abstract
According to the United Nations, the world population reached the 7 billion mark in 2011 and is anticipated to climb to 8 billion by 2025. All of these people need food, but many do not get enough. To resolve this critical issue, there is a great need to increase food production. The use of fertilizers is one of the more feasible ways to achieve this; however, nitrogen efficiency is notoriously low, with nitrification--the conversion of ammonium to nitrate--being one reason. Nitrification occurs naturally in the soil; and, once nitrate is formed, the probability for losses increases greatly. Among these losses are nitrate leaching into the water system and the formation of greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide. Nitrification inhibitors allow for ammonium to remain in the soil longer, providing more time for plant uptake. An enzymatic assay for nitrification inhibitors has been developed in hope of streamlining the discovery process. An improved methodology for discovering novel nitrification inhibitors is also discussed.
Recommended Citation
James, Christopher A., "Development of an enzymatic assay for nitrification inhibitors" (2013). Theses. 15.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-theses/15