New Research Platform on Efficient Fertilizer Use

Researchers from Europe and the United States are pooling their expertise to reduce nitrogen losses in agriculture and cut emissions

Aerial view of farmland — SmartField location in Denmark. At the core of AgNUE is a network of twelve intensively monitored field sites, known as “supersites”.

The use of nitrogen fertilizers is central to global food production, yet on average less than half of the applied nitrogen is taken up by plants in the fields – the remainder pollutes the climate, soils, and water bodies worldwide. With the newly established AgNUE (Agricultural Nitrogen Use Efficiency) research platform, researchers from Europe and the United States aim to develop ways to address this global challenge and minimize losses. KIT is participating in the initiative, which is coordinated by Aarhus University in Denmark.

Better Data for Reliable Models

“If we want to effectively reduce nitrogen, we need models that realistically capture the processes occurring in the field,” says Dr. Ralf Kiese from the Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research – Atmospheric Environmental Research, KIT’s Alpine Campus in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. “Our primary goal is therefore to significantly improve the data basis and the modeling of nitrogen fluxes. Building on this, we aim to develop solutions to reduce losses that can be implemented in agricultural practice.”

To this end, AgNUE is now recording nitrogen fluxes at intensively monitored field sites under varying climatic, soil, and management conditions. The researchers are pooling the standardized data and analyzing it using new measurement and analysis methods. On this basis, models are expected to predict more accurately how management practices affect emissions and yields. The results could provide a robust foundation for policymakers, the agricultural sector, and industry to implement effective measures.

mhe, April 22, 2026