The Story of Nitrogen

University of Minnesota Extension
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  • Natural Sciences
  • Series

How one nutrient shapes life in fields and streams, soil and sea.

Episodes

  1. Episode 1

    The Story of Nitrogen TRAILER

    The Story of Nitrogen

  2. Episode 1

    Episode 1- The Leaky Barrel

    Related content:Nitrogen and phosphorus in lakes To learn more:The complicated relationship between nitrogen, phosphorus, and eutrophication in lakes Hypoxia and eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico

  3. Episode 2

    Episode 2- The Leaky Barrel, continued

    Many of our crops need less nitrogen fertilizer when grown after legumes, such as soybeans, alfalfa, or field peas. Legumes are plants that can take- or “fix”- nitrogen out of the air, where it exists in near limitless amounts, and add it to the soil. This ability to fix nitrogen is common in nature, in environments as diverse as fields, forests, lakes, deserts, and seas, and yet the demand for nitrogen by living things is often greater than the supply produced by nitrogen fixation. Why is this the case? We look at nitrogen in our water, forests, and cropland to get to the bottom of this fundamental question. Interviewees: Chris Filstrup, Nancy Rabalais, Mary Beth Adams

  4. Episode 3

    Episode 3- Winners and Losers

    Related content:The "I Love Lucy" chocolate factory conveyor belt To learn more:How changes in nitrogen impact nitrogen-"burning" (nitrifying) microbes DNRA and nitrogen cycling microbes in agricultural soils

  5. Episode 4

    Episode 4- The Soil Bank Account

    Related content: To learn more:Nitrogen, organic matter decomposition, and corn yields Earthworm invasion into previously earthworm-free forests

  6. Episode 5

    Episode 5- A Legacy of Salts

    Related content:Nitrate removal from water How does water (and things like nitrate) move through bedrock?Great video on water movement through soilsTo learn more:Chloride in freshwater lakes Integrating water management practices to remove nitrateWetlands, bioreactors and other ways to remove nitrate from water Groundwater flow in southeastern Minnesota

  7. Episode 6

    Episode 6- The Rule of 1.2

    Welcome back to this 6th, bonus, episode of “The Story of Nitrogen”! This episode is all about nitrogen fertilizers and how we decide what rate of fertilizer to apply to our ground. This is a question I and many others have tried to tackle in our careers, and one whose answers regularly surprise and humble us. This episode is also about another question, one which anyone can relate to regardless of whether they work in agriculture or not, one which every person will have a different answer to: “How good is good enough?” Interviewees: Emerson Nafziger, Fabian Fernandez, Paul Trcka

Trailer

About

How one nutrient shapes life in fields and streams, soil and sea.

Information

  • Creator
    University of Minnesota Extension
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Regents of the University of Minnesota