Three “E” of Bioethics analysis: Environment, Efficiency, Economic

Environment impact

Normal nitrogen fertilizer’s harm

Nitrogen fertilizer is the chief culprit of eutrophication, which will cause algal bloom, loss of oxygen, loss of biodiversity. (Lassaletta et al, 2010 & Mian et al, 2009)

Some of the unabsorbed chemical nitrogen fertilizer run off because of rainfall and irrigation in the form of compound, but most of them run off in the form of soluble salt, such as NH4+,NO3— or volatilize in the air and drop back to land with rainfall . (Bouwman et al, 2001 & Pan, 2009) In China, less than half of the fertilizer N applied was taken up by crops Zhang et al (2008) and Ti et al (2011) reported that Chemical fertilizer accounts for 56.3% of N input and in oil rape (such as soybean , including peanut) field, but 4.35 % leaches, 3.19% Runs off and 5.5% volatilizes.

All of these ways will disturb the hydrosphere and cause underground water pollution and surface water eutrophication. (Huang et al, 2009)

In China, stream total N concentration has been increasing since 1980s. (Yang et al, 1999). According to Xu’s (2014) research on total nitrogen concentrations in surface water of typical Agro- and forest-ecosystem in China between 2004 and 2009, the median total N concentrations of still surface water were significantly higher in the agro-(1.5mg•L^-1) and oasis agro-ecosystem (1.8mg•L^-1) than in the forest ecosystems (1.0mg•L^-1). This was also the case for flowing surface water, with total N concentrations of 2.4 mg•L^-1,1.8 mg•L^-1 and 0.5mg•L^-1 for the agro-, oasis agro- and forest-ecosystem respectively and unpolluted water must with N lower than 1.0mg•L^-1.

Nitrogen pollution has become a wide problem in China. If the usage of Nitrogen fertilizer is not reduced, other solutions will never solve it fundamentally. More and more algae bloom will appear again and again.

Fig.1 Nitrogen concentration in different types of soil in China. Human agriculture has caused great increase of Nitrogen.

Fig. 2 Places surveyed byYang (2014) This picture shows the places (icons) that Yang et al surveyed between 2004 to 2009.

References

Bouwman, A., Boumans, L. & Batjes, N. (2002) Estimation of global NH3 volatilization loss from synthetic fertilizers and animal manure applied to arable lands and grasslands. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 16: 801-814.

Huang, D. F. , Wang, G. , Li, W. H. (2009) Present status, mechanisms，and control techniques of nitrogen and phosphorus non-point source pollution from vegetable fields．Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 20 ( 4) : 991-1001.

Huang, D. F. , Wang, G. , Li, W. H. (2009) Effects of different fertilization modes on vegetable growth, fertilizer nitrogen utilization and nitrogen loss from vegetable field. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 20(3): 631-638.

Lassaletta, L., Garcia, H., Gimeno, B.S. & Rovira, J.V. (2009) Agriculture-induced increase in nitrate concentrations in stream waters of a large Mediterranean catchment over 25 years (1981–2005). Science of the Total Environment, 407(23): 6034–6043.

Mian, I.A., Begum, S.M., Ridealg, M., McClean, C.J. & Cresser, M.S. (2010) Spatial and temporal trends in nitrate concentration in the river Derwent, North Yorkshire and its need for NVZ status. Science of the Total Environment, 408(4):702–712.

Ti, C.P., Xia, Y.Q., Pan, J.J., Gu,G.M., & Yan, X.Y. (2011) Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 91(1):55-66.

Xu, Z., Zhang, X., Xie, J., Yuan, G., Tang, X., et al. (2014) Total nitrogen concentrations in surface water of typical agro- and forest-ecosystem in China, 2004-2009. PLoS ONE, 9(3):1-7.

Yang, A.L. & Zhu, Y.M. (1999) Study on nonpoint source pollution in surface water environment. Advance of Environmental Sciences, 7(5):60–67.

Zhang, F. S., Wang, Y.Q., Zhang, W.F., Cui, Z.L., Ma, W.Q., et al. (2008) Nutrient use efficiencies of major cereal crops in China and measures for improvement. Acta Pedologica Sinica, 45(5): 915–924.

Triditional molybdenum fertilizer’s restriction

In order to decrease nitrogen fertilizer’s usage, molybdenum fertilizer is commonly applied in cereal plants fields, because molybdenum is a microelement that in both important for azotobacter and cereal plants and the mechanism is discussed in the introduction part.

The Application of molybdenum is usually in two ways. The first way is seed dressing and the second is plant spraying. Liu (1987) did research in Xinxiang about the application of molybdenum fertilizer ((NH₄)₂MoO₄).

• Method 1: no application of (NH₄)₂MoO₄.
• Method 2: put the peanut seeds in 0.1% (NH₄)₂MoO₄ solution for 12 hours before planting
• Method 3: dip the peanut seeds in 0.5% (NH₄)₂MoO₄ solution for a short time
• Method 4: spray 0.1% (NH₄)₂MoO₄ on plants when they flowers
• Method 5: method 2 and method 4
• Method 6: method 3 and method 4

Engineered E.Coli Prometheus’ impact

The Story of E.coli Prometheus

BNU-China