The nitrogen cycle ensures the cycling of this element in the environment, making it available to living beings and releasing it back into the environment. Thus, nitrogen can later be reused by other organisms. Several processes are involved in this important cycle, such as:
- Nitrogen fixation by bacteria such as Rhizobium;
- Decomposition of organic matter (made by decomposing bacteria) and formation of ammonium ion;
- Nitrification process, in which two steps are observed: nitration and nitration.
- Denitrification, in which denitrifying bacteria guarantee the transformation of nitrates into nitrogen gas.
Human interference in the Nitrogen cycle to increase agricultural production concerns the different ways man has found to make this nutrient available to plants through the use of nitrogen fertilizers that have brought with it a range of environmental problems. Human interference was also through biotechnology, with the discovery of new nitrogen-fixing bacteria and their use in certain plant varieties.