https://phys.org/news/2019-01-green-crop-environment-wallet.html > Applying too much nitrogen fertilizer, on the other hand, can hurt the environment. Nitrogen can enter the watershed, polluting aquatic ecosystems. Microbes can also convert the excess nitrogen into nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas implicated in climate change. > "Managing nitrogen is vital for global food security," says Yuxin Miao, an agronomist at the University of Minnesota. "It is also crucial for reducing pollution and climate change."