TY - JOUR T1 - Plant nutrient management and risks of nitrous oxide emission JF - Journal of Soil and Water Conservation SP - 137A LP - 144A DO - 10.2489/jswc.67.5.137A VL - 67 IS - 5 AU - Clifford S. Snyder AU - Paul E. Fixen Y1 - 2012/09/01 UR - http://www.jswconline.org/content/67/5/137A.abstract N2 - Global fertilizer production and farmer use has made it possible to provide 40% to 60% of the global crop and food production necessary to sustain the human family (Erisman et al. 2008; Stewart et al. 2005). Because the world's population is growing, it has been projected that we may need to produce 50% more food by 2050 to meet the needs of nine billion people (Tomlinson 2011; Whitacre et al. 2010). Nitrogen (N) fertilizers have had a tremendously beneficial impact on society, and at least half of humanity currently depends on the food production made possible by the Haber–Bosch ammonia (NH3) synthesis process (Erisman et al. 2008). The agricultural community and nonagrarian society have a heightened awareness and are recognizing that it is becoming more important to provide balance in the use of N and other nutrient inputs for the production of food, feed, fiber, and biofuel to help achieve sustainability goals (IFA 2007). The environmental risks and consequences of increased reactive N inputs to the earth's ecosystems are also being considered and have been the subject of many environmental reports (Davidson et al. 2012; Galloway et al. 2003, 2004; Follett and Delgado 2002; Howarth 2010; Matson 1998; Schlesinger et… ER -