Climate change also alters nitrogen in soils and plants, shaping food quality, water safety, and pollution risks worldwide.

New research shows that the ability of tropical forests to lock up carbon depends critically upon a group of trees that possess a unique talent -- the ability to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere.

"We studied a large number of wheat and barley genotypes under different nitrogen supply conditions and analyzed their root architecture and nitrogen accumulation in the plants," says lead author Md.

If you liked this story, share it with other people. The creation of synthetic fertilizers in the early 20th century was a turning point in human history, enabling an increase in crop yields and ...

(Millbrook, NY) Tropical forests are allies in the fight against climate change. Growing trees absorb carbon emissions and store them as woody biomass. As a result, reforestation of land once cleared ...