Strategies for Maximizing Nutrient and Water Use Efficiency
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Modern agriculture faces the dual challenge of boosting productivity while reducing environmental impact. With volatile input costs, erratic weather patterns and increasing regulatory and consumer pressures, farmers must prioritize nutrient use efficiency (NUE) and water use efficiency (WUE). With a few practical strategies, farmers can optimize nutrient and water use to achieve more resilient and productive crops.
The importance of nutrient use efficiency (NUE)
Nutrient use efficiency (NUE) refers to a plant’s capacity to absorb and effectively utilize nutrients from soil and fertilizers. Enhancing NUE is essential for improving farm sustainability and profitability. Key benefits include:
- Lowering input costs by reducing fertilizer waste.
- Minimizing environmental impact through reduced nutrient runoff and pollution.
- Enhancing crop yields and quality by ensuring timely and balanced nutrition.
Strategies to improve NUE
To improve NUE, farmers can adopt a combination of agronomic, biological and technological practices. These strategies include:
- Regularly test soil to tailor fertilizer applications to actual crop requirements.
- Practice balanced fertilization — applying the right nutrients, in the right amounts, at the right time.
- Utilize microorganisms to help improve nutrient uptake, especially for phosphorus and micronutrients.
- Apply biostimulants which can improve root development, helping access more nutrients from the soil.
- Adopt precision agriculture tools like soil sensors and variable-rate applications to optimize fertilizer use.
Maximizing nutrient uptake: biological and technological solutions
Nutrient uptake can be improved with a combination of biologicals and smart technologies. Below are some effective approaches:
- Mycorrhizal fungi: Symbiotic fungi (e.g., Glomus iranicum var. tenuihypharum) help expand root systems and improve absorption of water and nutrients, especially phosphorus and micronutrients.
- Rhizobacteria: These bacteria enhance nutrient absorption, increasing nutrient availability.
- Biostimulants: These products help activate natural processes to improve nutrient uptake and plant resilience.
- Foliar fertilization: This practice involves applying nutrients directly to leaves to quickly correct deficiencies during critical growth stages.
- Slow-release and stabilized fertilizers: These types of fertilizers reduce nutrient losses by releasing nutrients gradually or inhibiting nitrification.
Case study: mycorrhizal biostimulants
Field trials using mycorrhizal biostimulants have demonstrated significant agronomic benefits. These include:1
- Better uptake of nutrients such as N, P, K, Ca and Zn.
- Better root development and overall plant vigor.
- Greater resilience to abiotic stresses like drought and salinity.
Water use efficiency: making every drop count
As water scarcity intensifies globally, improving water use efficiency (WUE) is as critical as enhancing NUE. Farmers can adopt the following practices to make the most of available water:
- Monitor soil moisture using sensors in order to schedule irrigation based on real-time crop needs.
- Manage soil health by increasing organic matter and microbial activity to improve water retention and infiltration.
- Apply biologicals that support root growth and water uptake, helping crops remain productive under limited water conditions.
Example: mycorrhizal fungi and WUE
Mycorrhizal fungi expand the root surface area, enabling plants to access water from a larger soil volume. Studies show that inoculated crops maintain higher yields and quality even under drought stress.1
Integrating fertilizer and water management
Integrated nutrient and water management is vital for sustainable agriculture. The synergy between efficient fertilizer use and water management supports:
- Maximized yields
- Improved soil health and resilience.
Practical recommendations
- Begin with soil and water analysis to establish a baseline for informed decisions.
- Select the right solutions — match fertilizer types (organic, inorganic or blended) to crop and soil needs.
- Incorporate biologicals to support both NUE and WUE.
- Implement precision practices to apply water and nutrients only where and when needed.
- Monitor and adjust continuously based on crop performance.
- Partner with experts who can guide and support your implementation process.
Maximizing nutrient and water use efficiency goes beyond cost savings — it’s about building a resilient, productive agricultural system. By integrating biological and technological solutions with informed management practices, farmers can meet the challenge of increasing yields amid unpredictable conditions while also helping to meet consumer and societal demands for more sustainably produced food.
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Reference:
1 Félix Fernández Martín et al., “Application of Arbuscular Mycorrhizae Glomus iranicum
var. tenuihypharum var. nova in Intensive Agriculture: A Study Case,” Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology B7 (2017): 221–247, https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6ffa/fc93c3d3deb7e2f542cf5e4db317102d127a.pdf.