What form of nitrogen does the plant take up?
The corn plant can take up nitrogen in both the nitrate NO3 and NH4 forms. In fact, research shows that supplying the corn plant with a higher percentage of the ammonium form of nitrogen can increase yields. This is most likely due to the fact that once the nitrate molecule is taken into the plant it must be reduced to the ammonium form. In other words, the plant must use energy (sugars) to convert NO3 to NH4 in the plant. Therefore, if more NH4 is taken up by the plant, more energy is available for other functions. Having said that, the fact remains that the majority of nitrogen taken up the plant is in the NO3 form simply because this is the predominate form found in the soil. Supplying the corn plant with as much NH4 nitrogen as late as possible will benefit final yields. What are the sources of nitrogen? Nitrogen can come from various sources, including mineralization of organic matter, previous crop residue breakdown and inorganic nitrogen (fertilizers). How much nitrogen can we g
