John R. Freney

Publications (3)32.81 Total impact

• Source

  Available from: Jan Willem Erisman

  Article: Transformation of the nitrogen cycle: recent trends, questions, and potential solutions.

  James N Galloway, Alan R Townsend, Jan Willem Erisman, Mateete Bekunda, Zucong Cai, John R Freney, Luiz A Martinelli, Sybil P Seitzinger, Mark A Sutton
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  ABSTRACT: Humans continue to transform the global nitrogen cycle at a record pace, reflecting an increased combustion of fossil fuels, growing demand for nitrogen in agriculture and industry, and pervasive inefficiencies in its use. Much anthropogenic nitrogen is lost to air, water, and land to cause a cascade of environmental and human health problems. Simultaneously, food production in some parts of the world is nitrogen-deficient, highlighting inequities in the distribution of nitrogen-containing fertilizers. Optimizing the need for a key human resource while minimizing its negative consequences requires an integrated interdisciplinary approach and the development of strategies to decrease nitrogen-containing waste.
  Science 06/2008; 320(5878):889-92. · 31.20 Impact Factor
• Article: Global assessment of nitrogen fertilizer: the SCOPE/IGBP nitrogen fertilizer rapid assessment project.

  Arvin R Mosier, J Keith Syers, John R Freney
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  ABSTRACT: Nitrogen (N) availability is a key role in food and fiber production. Providing plant-available N through synthetic fertilizer in the 20th and early 21st century has been a major contributor to the increased production required to feed and clothe the growing human population. To continue to meet the global demands and to minimize environmental problems, significant improvements are needed in the efficiency with which fertilizer N is utilized within production systems. There are still major uncertainties regarding the fate of fertilizer N added to agricultural soils and the potential for reducing losses to the environment. Enhancing the technical and economic efficiency of fertilizer N is seen to promote a favorable situation for both agricultural production and the environment, and this has provided much of the impetus for a new N fertilizer project. To address this important issue, a rapid assessment project on N fertilizer (NFRAP) was conducted by SCOPE (the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment) during late 2003 and early 2004. This was the first formal project of the International Nitrogen Initiative (INI). As part of this assessment, a successful international workshop was held in Kampala, Uganda on 12 -16 January, 2004. This workshop brought together scientists from around the world to assess the fate of synthetic fertilizer N in the context of overall N inputs to agricultural systems, with a view to enhancing the efficiency of N use and reducing negative impacts on the environment. Regionalization of the assessment highlighted the problems of too little N for crop production to meet the nutrient requirements of sub-Saharan Africa and the oversupply of N in the major rice-growing areas of China. The results of the assessment are presented in a book (SCOPE 65) which is now available to provide a basis for further discussions on N fertilizer.
  Science in China Series C Life Sciences 09/2005; 48 Suppl 2:759-66. · 1.61 Impact Factor
• Article: Agriculture and the Nitrogen Cycle: Assessing the Impacts of Fertilizer Use on Food Production and the Environment

  Arvin Mosier, J. Keith Syers, John R. Freney
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  ABSTRACT: Nitrogen is an essential element for plant growth and development and a key agricultural input-but in excess it can lead to a host of problems for human and ecological health. Across the globe, distribution of fertilizer nitrogen is very uneven, with some areas subject to nitrogen pollution and others suffering from reduced soil fertility, diminished crop production, and other consequences of inadequate supply. Agriculture and the Nitrogen Cycle provides a global assessment of the role of nitrogen fertilizer in the nitrogen cycle. The focus of the book is regional, emphasizing the need to maintain food and fiber production while minimizing environmental impacts where fertilizer is abundant, and the need to enhance fertilizer utilization in systems where nitrogen is limited. The book is derived from a workshop held by the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) in Kampala, Uganda, that brought together the world's leading scientists to examine and discuss the nitrogen cycle and related problems. It contains an overview chapter that summarizes the group's findings, four chapters on cross-cutting issues, and thirteen background chapters. The book offers a unique synthesis and provides an up-to-date, broad perspective on the issues of nitrogen fertilizer in food production and the interaction of nitrogen and the environment.
  Bibliovault OAI Repository, the University of Chicago Press.