Abiotic conversion of nitrate to ammonium enhances nitrogen use efficiency in paddy soils.

Abiotic reduction of nitrate to ammonium mediated by Fe(II) ions accounts for 57% of N reduction in paddy soils, enhancing nitrogen use efficiency.

• Why it matters: Improving nitrogen use efficiency is vital for sustainable food production and reducing environmental N loss; understanding abiotic processes offers new avenues for optimization.
• What they did: Researchers used laser confocal fluorescence microscopy, thermodynamic calculations, and field experiments to investigate Fe(II) ions' role, demonstrating their capacity to reduce nitrate to ammonium and increase rice yield.
• The result: The findings suggest a regulatory cycle of Fe(II)/Fe(III) can be established to control N conversion, leading to a 16.1% increase in rice yield and halving N input in field conditions.