The Comprehensive Guide to What are the benefits of nutrient use efficiency?

October 16, 2025 •

3 min read

Estimates suggest that global fertilizer efficiency for nitrogen is often less than 50%, with phosphorus potentially dropping below 10%, leading to significant waste. Understanding what are the benefits of nutrient use efficiency (NUE) is therefore crucial for creating more profitable, productive, and sustainable food systems.

Quick Summary

Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE) involves maximizing plant nutrient uptake and utilization, leading to higher crop yields and lower production costs. It reduces environmental pollution from nutrient runoff, improves long-term soil health, and enhances overall farm sustainability.

Key Points

Reduces Fertilizer Costs: Higher efficiency means less fertilizer is needed per unit of yield, directly increasing profit margins.
Increases Crop Yields: Healthier plants with optimized nutrient access lead to more robust growth and consistent, higher harvests.
Protects Waterways: Minimizing nutrient runoff prevents contamination of rivers, lakes, and groundwater, combating issues like algal blooms.
Combats Climate Change: Lower synthetic fertilizer use reduces associated greenhouse gas emissions, particularly nitrous oxide ($N_2O$).
Improves Soil Health: Enhances soil microbial activity and organic matter, creating a more fertile and resilient growing environment.
Boosts Farm Viability: Long-term sustainable practices support the enduring productivity and profitability of agricultural operations.
Uses Modern Technology: Advanced techniques like precision farming with GPS and sensors allow for data-driven, highly targeted nutrient application.

Understanding the Fundamentals of Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE)

Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE) refers to how effectively plants absorb, utilize, and convert available nutrients into biomass or yield. It measures productivity per unit of nutrient applied, and its importance is growing due to the need to feed a growing population while minimizing environmental impact. Improving NUE aims to increase crop output and quality, reduce input costs, and decrease nutrient losses.

NUE can be measured in several ways:

Agronomic Efficiency (AE): Economic yield per unit of applied nutrient.
Physiological Efficiency (PE): Biomass produced per unit of nutrient absorbed.
Apparent Recovery Efficiency (ARE): Proportion of applied fertilizer taken up by the plant.

The Economic Incentives of High NUE

Improved NUE offers significant economic benefits for farmers by reducing costs and increasing profitability.

Reduced Input Costs and Increased Profitability

Optimizing nutrient application allows farmers to use less fertilizer for the same or better yields, directly reducing input costs and improving profit margins. Precision agriculture techniques, guided by testing, help tailor nutrient rates to specific crop needs.

Enhanced Crop Yields and Productivity

Efficient nutrient use can lead to increased yields by providing plants with the right nutrients at the right time and place, promoting healthier growth. Newer crop varieties are also being bred for better nutrient uptake.

Improved Long-Term Farm Viability

Sustainable practices associated with high NUE build soil health over time by minimizing nutrient loss and increasing organic matter. This creates a resilient system less reliant on increasing inputs.

The Environmental Advantages of High NUE

Improving NUE also offers powerful environmental benefits, addressing issues like water pollution and climate change.

Mitigation of Nutrient Pollution

Reducing excessive nutrient application prevents runoff and leaching that can contaminate waterways and lead to harmful algal blooms. This protects the quality of local water resources.

Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Nitrogen fertilizer production and use are significant sources of nitrous oxide ($N_2O$) emissions. Efficient nutrient use reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers, decreasing emissions from manufacturing and soil denitrification.

Boosted Soil Health

High NUE supports soil health by enhancing microbial activity, improving soil structure, and increasing water retention. This focuses on soil fertility as a long-term asset.

Strategies for Improving Nutrient Use Efficiency

Farmers can implement various strategies, often combining approaches tailored to their specific conditions.

Comparison of NUE Improvement Strategies


Strategy	Methods	Pros	Cons
Agronomic Practices (4Rs)	Right source, rate, time, and place of fertilizer application. Cover cropping and integrated nutrient management.	Relatively low-tech, can be implemented with existing equipment. Immediate, positive impact on efficiency and cost savings.	Requires diligent management and regular soil testing. Success can depend heavily on local climate and soil factors.
Precision Agriculture	GPS guidance, variable-rate technology, soil sensors, and crop modeling.	Highly precise nutrient delivery, maximizing efficiency and minimizing waste. Data-driven decisions optimize for localized needs.	High initial investment in equipment and technology. Requires training and data analysis skills.
Biological Solutions	Using biostimulants, inoculants (e.g., Rhizobium), and mycorrhizal fungi to enhance nutrient uptake.	Eco-friendly and promotes natural soil processes. Can reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers.	Efficacy can vary depending on soil conditions and microbial populations. Results may be less predictable than chemical fertilizers.
Genetic Breeding	Selecting for crop varieties with enhanced root architecture, nutrient transport, and internal utilization traits.	Can create crops inherently more efficient at nutrient use. Offers a long-term, systemic solution.	Long development cycles and higher research costs. Public acceptance issues may arise with genetically modified varieties.

Key factors influencing NUE

Soil pH: Extreme pH levels can limit nutrient availability.
Microbial activity: Healthy soil microbes aid nutrient cycling and access for roots.
Water availability: Drought or waterlogging hinders nutrient absorption.
Weather conditions: Temperature, light, and rainfall affect plant growth and nutrient uptake.
Plant genetics: The crop variety influences its ability to acquire and use nutrients.

Conclusion

Improving nutrient use efficiency is a critical challenge with substantial economic and environmental rewards. It leads to lower costs, higher yields, and improved farm profitability and sustainability. Environmentally, it results in cleaner water, reduced greenhouse gases, and healthier soils. Implementing strategies like precision agriculture, biological solutions, and genetic breeding helps move towards a more resilient future. Addressing NUE is fundamental to global food security and environmental protection. For further details on improving efficiency, consult a review in Frontiers in Plant Science.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrient uptake efficiency refers to a plant's ability to absorb nutrients from the soil, influenced by root systems and soil conditions. Nutrient utilization efficiency is the plant's capacity to convert the absorbed nutrients into biomass or economic yield.

Biostimulants and biofertilizers use beneficial microorganisms and natural substances to enhance nutrient absorption and availability in the soil. They can increase root growth and help fix atmospheric nitrogen or solubilize phosphorus, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers.

Not necessarily. While high-tech options like precision agriculture can boost NUE, many low-cost strategies exist, such as proper fertilizer placement, using cover crops, and integrated nutrient management. These can be adopted incrementally to improve efficiency over time.

Plant breeders can develop new crop varieties with genetic traits that enable more efficient nutrient uptake and utilization. This can involve enhancing root architecture for better nutrient foraging or optimizing internal nutrient transport and storage.

The 4R framework is a set of best management practices for fertilizer application. It involves using the Right Source at the Right Rate, the Right Time, and in the Right Place to match crop needs and minimize environmental impact.

Improving NUE fosters healthier, more balanced soils by minimizing nutrient depletion and reducing nutrient losses. It encourages beneficial microbial activity, improves soil structure, and enhances the soil's organic matter content, all contributing to long-term fertility.

Yes, by increasing crop yields and minimizing waste, NUE contributes significantly to global food security. It enables more food to be produced on existing agricultural land, which is vital for a growing population while protecting natural resources.

NUE improves climate resilience by reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizer production and application. It also makes crops more robust against environmental stressors like drought, which are exacerbated by climate change.

While generally positive, pursuing maximum NUE at the expense of yield can be ineffective. The goal is to optimize both efficiency and productivity for the best economic and environmental outcomes.