Preventing subsoil enhanced nitrification to safeguard agroecosystem sustainability

The excessive application of nitrogen fertilizers in croplands drives nitrification-induced nitrogen losses, accelerating soil degradation and groundwater nitrate pollution. By synthesizing global nitrogen profiles and field studies, we identify a previously overlooked "enhanced nitrification layer (ENL)" at approximately 0.6 m depth (ranging from 0.3 to 0.9 m) across global croplands. The formation of the ENL relies on the interplay of four key processes: root-mediated nitrogen transport (the conveyor belt), an oxygenated microenvironment sustained by soil texture (the reaction chamber), nitrifier communities (the nitrification engine), and favorable hydrological conditions (the activating switch). This ENL acts as a biogeochemical hotspot, driving subsoil pH declines and nitrate leaching to groundwater. Its identification establishes a precise subsurface target, expanding nitrogen management to address the critical depth of peak transformation alongside surface measures, thereby advancing agroecosystem sustainability.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2026-03-07
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70277-7
Primary Topic
Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Preventing subsoil enhanced nitrification to safeguard agroecosystem sustainability

Esteban Gabriel Jobbagy, Shaoliang Zhang, Ruifeng Yan, Zeyang Lu et al.
Nature Communications
Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
article

Preventing subsoil enhanced nitrification to safeguard agroecosystem sustainability

Esteban Gabriel Jobbagy, Shaoliang Zhang, Ruifeng Yan, Zeyang Lu, Ganlin ZHANG, Xin Luo, Yao Wang, Yupeng Zheng, Yiqi Yu, Nandita B. Basu, Fenfang Wang, Baojing Gu, Yonglong Lu, Scott X. Chang
article en

Abstract

The excessive application of nitrogen fertilizers in croplands drives nitrification-induced nitrogen losses, accelerating soil degradation and groundwater nitrate pollution. By synthesizing global nitrogen profiles and field studies, we identify a previously overlooked "enhanced nitrification layer (ENL)" at approximately 0.6 m depth (ranging from 0.3 to 0.9 m) across global croplands. The formation of the ENL relies on the interplay of four key processes: root-mediated nitrogen transport (the conveyor belt), an oxygenated microenvironment sustained by soil texture (the reaction chamber), nitrifier communities (the nitrification engine), and favorable hydrological conditions (the activating switch). This ENL acts as a biogeochemical hotspot, driving subsoil pH declines and nitrate leaching to groundwater. Its identification establishes a precise subsurface target, expanding nitrogen management to address the critical depth of peak transformation alongside surface measures, thereby advancing agroecosystem sustainability.

Nature Communications
Planetary Science Institute (US), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (AR), University of Waterloo (CA), University of Alberta (CA), Northeast Agricultural University (CN), Xiamen University (CN), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Southern University of Science and Technology (CN), City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen Research Institute (CN), Centro Científico Tecnológico - San Luis (AR), Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology (CN), University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital (CN), Institute of Soil Science (CN), Zhejiang University (CN), University of Hong Kong (HK)
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Responsible consumption and production
Openalex Percentile: Top 34%
Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.