Researchers conducted a field trial of the first plant-derived nitrification inhibitor

Chinese researchers have created a dual-action nitrogen inhibitor 2-cyclopenten-1-one (CCO): increasing crop yield and reducing gaseous emissions through microbial regulation. Field trials show that plant-derived CCO increases corn yield and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by altering nitrogen genes and benefiting microbes such as Nocardioides and Nitrospira. This was reported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The application of nitrogen supplements, such as urease and nitrification inhibitors, offers a simpler and more economical alternative to complex nitrogen management strategies. Compared to conventional fertilizers, urease inhibitors improve nitrogen fertilizer efficiency by delaying urea hydrolysis. Nitrification inhibitors increase nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and crop yield by slowing the conversion of NH₄+ to NO₃- during nitrification and reducing subsequent denitrification in the soil. For example, combining urea with the urease inhibitor N-butylthiophosphoric ...