Nitrogen use efficiency in cotton: Challenges and opportunities against environmental constraints

Adnan Noor Shah; Talha Javed; Rajesh Kumar Singhal; Rubab Shabbir; Depeng Wang; Sadam Hussain; Hirdayesh Anuragi; Dinesh Jinger; Himanshu Pandey; Nader R Abdelsalam; Rehab Y Ghareeb; Mariusz Jaremko

doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.970339

Nitrogen use efficiency in cotton: Challenges and opportunities against environmental constraints

Front Plant Sci. 2022 Aug 22:13:970339. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.970339. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Agricultural Engineering, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Pakistan.
² College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.
³ ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi, India.
⁴ Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
⁵ College of Life Science, Linyi University , Linyi, Shandong, China.
⁶ Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
⁷ ICAR-Central Agroforestry Research Institute, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
⁸ ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Research Centre, Anand, Gujarat, India.
⁹ YSP UHF Nauni, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India.
¹⁰ Agricultural Botany Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Saba Basha, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
¹¹ Plant Protection and Biomolecular Diagnosis Department, Arid Lands Cultivation Research Institute, City of Science Research and Technological Applications, Alexandria, Egypt.
¹² Smart Health Initiative and Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Nitrogen is a vital nutrient for agricultural, and a defieciency of it causes stagnate cotton growth and yield penalty. Farmers rely heavily on N over-application to boost cotton output, which can result in decreased lint yield, quality, and N use efficiency (NUE). Therefore, improving NUE in cotton is most crucial for reducing environmental nitrate pollution and increasing farm profitability. Well-defined management practices, such as the type of sources, N-rate, application time, application method, crop growth stages, and genotypes, have a notable impact on NUE. Different N formulations, such as slow and controlled released fertilizers, have been shown to improve N uptake and, NUE. Increasing N rates are said to boost cotton yield, although high rates may potentially impair the yield depending on the soil and environmental conditions. This study comprehensively reviews various factors including agronomic and environmental constraints that influence N uptake, transport, accumulation, and ultimately NUE in cotton. Furthermore, we explore several agronomic and molecular approaches to enhance efficiency for better N uptake and utilization in cotton. Finally, this objective of this review to highlight a comprehensive view on enhancement of NUE in cotton and could be useful for understanding the physiological, biochemical and molecular mechanism of N in cotton.

Keywords: GhNRT1.2; GhNRT2.1; GhNRT2.2; abiotic stresses; climate change; cotton; nitrogen use efficiency; physiological responses GhNRT1.1.

Publication types

Review