RCN: Plant Nitrogen Network (PlaNNet);Coordinating Research on Plant Nitrogen for Sustainable and Productive Agriculture

氮(N)是许多生物分子的基本元素，对地球上的生命至关重要。氮是植物粮食、饲料、纤维和燃料生产力的关键驱动因素，土壤中氮不足往往会限制农业生产力。工业/合成氮肥已经消除了许多农业系统中的氮素限制，尽管过度使用氮肥威胁到环境，并最终威胁到这些系统的可持续性。另一方面，数以百万计资源贫乏的农民，特别是发展中国家的农民，无法负担昂贵的氮肥来提高产量，因此作物产量非常低。国际上越来越意识到这两个与农业中氮有关的主要问题，以及协调资助和研究以在国际层面解决这些问题的必要性。该项目将建立植物氮素网络（PlaNNet），这是一个由美国和世界各地的研究人员和其他利益相关者组成的国家科学基金会研究协调网络（RCN），将在设计和实施研究与开发（R&amp；D）战略方面发挥主导作用，以解决世界不同地区的农业氮素问题。全球挑战需要全球应对。要在2050年养活90亿人口，并在遥远的未来保持稳定的粮食供应，就需要对农业氮问题采取更可持续的解决方案。与植物氮相关的研发缺乏协调，导致全球努力不够集中、效率和效果。该RCN旨在协调与植物氮供应和利用有关的研究活动，以提高农业氮利用的效率和可持续性。研究的挑战和机遇包括提高作物和牧场植物的氮利用效率（NUE），以及在自然和合成系统中开发生物固氮。优化农业氮素利用还需要改进农业管理实践。PlaNNet将帮助基础研究人员和应用研究人员建立联系，以促进解决农业氮素问题的协调努力。研究协调网络（RCN）活动将包括：(i)开发一个网络网站，其中包括美国和世界各地从事植物氮相关研究的数百名研究人员的信息、合作机会和教育资源；（ii）年度“无围墙研讨会”（workshop - without - walls），即涉及数百名参与者的虚拟会议，以介绍、讨论和建立与植物氮研究和开发相关的共识；（三）在主要会议上举办以植物氮和农业的具体方面为重点的卫星讲习班。RCN的活动将由PlaNNet指导委员会（SC）协调，该委员会将由氮研究界的广泛横截面组成，在不同的人口群体中保持平衡。

Nitrogen (N) is an essential element of many biomolecules and is crucial for life on earth. Nitrogen is a key driver of plant productivity for food, feed, fiber and fuel, and insufficient N in soils often limits agricultural productivity. Industrial/synthetic N-fertilizers have removed the N-limitation in many agricultural systems, although over-use of N-fertilizers threatens the environment and, ultimately, the sustainability of such systems. On the other hand, millions of resource poor farmers, especially in developing countries, cannot afford the expensive N-fertilizers to boost production and as a result suffer from very low crop yields. There is growing international awareness of these two main problems associated with N in agriculture as well as the need to coordinate funding and research to solve the problems at an international level. This project will establish the Plant Nitrogen Network (PlaNNet), an NSF Research Coordination Network (RCN) of researchers and other stake-holders within the U.S.A. and around the world that will play a leading role in designing and implementing research and development (R&D) strategies to address the problems of N in agriculture in different parts of the world. Global challenges require global responses. Feeding 9 billion people in 2050 and maintaining stable food supplies into the distant future will require more-sustainable solutions to agriculture's N problems. Lack of coordination in R&D related to plant-N results in a global effort that is not as focused, efficient, and effective as it could be. This RCN aims to coordinate research activities related to the supply and utilization of N by plants with the long-term objective of enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of N-use in agriculture. Research challenges and opportunities include improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in crop and pasture plants and exploiting biological nitrogen fixation in both natural and synthetic systems. Optimization of N-use in agriculture will also require improved agriculture management practices. PlaNNet will help to connect basic and applied researchers to facilitate a concerted effort to solve agriculture's N-problems. Research coordination network (RCN) activities will include: (i) development of a networking website that includes information about hundreds of researchers within the U.S.A. and around the world who are involved in plant N-related research, opportunities for collaboration, and educational resources; (ii) annual Workshops-Without-Walls, virtual meetings that will involve hundreds of participants in presentations, discussions, and consensus-building related to plant-N research and development; and (iii) satellite workshops at major conferences focused on specific aspects of plant N and agriculture. The activities of the RCN will be coordinated by a PlaNNet Steering Committee (SC) that will be composed of a broad cross section of the nitrogen research community balanced among different demographic groups.