The Natural Nitrogen Cycle: Where Does Nitogen Come, Stay and Go?

Where Does Nitrogen Come From?

Nitrogen makes up 78% of the air around us, but plants can’t use it in its gaseous form (N₂). The triple bond (N≡N) is so strong that only powerful natural or biological reactions can unlock it.

Natural fixation pathways:

Lightning fixation: High-temperature lightning converts N₂ and O₂ into nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). These dissolve in rainwater to form nitric acid (HNO₃), which turns into nitrate (NO₃⁻) in soil.
Suggested image: Lightning over farmland – caption “Nature’s own fertilizer factory in the sky.”

Biological fixation: Soil and root bacteria such as Rhizobium (in legumes), Azotobacter, and Cyanobacteria use nitrogenase enzyme systems to reduce N₂ → ammonia (NH₃), later becoming ammonium (NH₄⁺).

 Industrial fixation: The Haber–Bosch process now produces most synthetic nitrogen fertilizer worldwide. It imitates nature but at high energy cost — a reminder of how efficient the natural cycle truly is.

Where Is Nitrogen Stored?

Once fixed, nitrogen flows through living systems as a web of compounds connecting soil, plants, and microorganisms.
Inside a plant, nitrogen appears in nearly every vital molecule.

Major nitrogen compounds in plant cells:

Protein formation

Amino acids – glutamine, glutamate, aspartate

Form enzymes, membranes, and structural proteins.

Genetic blueprint

Nucleic acids – DNA & RNA

Nitrogen in adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, uracil.

Energy transfer

ATP, NAD, FAD

Nitrogen in purine bases powers respiration and photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis

Chlorophyll

Contains four nitrogen atoms surrounding magnesium.

Defense & regulation

Alkaloids, polyamines, hormones

Nitrogen shapes plant immunity and growth signaling.

Temporary storage

Amides – asparagine, glutamine

Safe, mobile forms used for transport within plant tissues.

Soil acts as the reservoir, holding nitrogen in humus, microbial biomass, and mineral forms. Oceans also store huge amounts, cycling through plankton and sediment.

Where Does Nitrogen Go?

When plants die, nitrogen in their tissues returns to the earth. Microbes transform it again, completing the elegant loop.

• Ammonification: Decomposers convert organic nitrogen → ammonia (NH₃) or ammonium (NH₄⁺).

• Nitrification: Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter oxidize NH₄⁺ → nitrite (NO₂⁻) → nitrate (NO₃⁻).

• Denitrification: In oxygen-poor soils, bacteria like Pseudomonas reduce nitrate back to N₂ or nitrous oxide (N₂O)— returning nitrogen to the air.

• Losses: Some nitrogen volatilizes as gas or leaches away as soluble nitrate, especially when the soil system is disturbed or overloaded with synthetic fertilizer.

Suggested image: Diagram of nitrogen cycle arrows linking atmosphere, soil, plant, and microbes.

Why It Matters for Sustainable Farming

Modern agriculture often interrupts this graceful cycle — releasing nitrogen faster than ecosystems can absorb.
At Verdiville, we restore that balance using our aerobic leaf fermentation technology (the Jumbo Cow and T4VG™ system).
By fermenting green leaves and weeds under oxygen-rich conditions, we naturally release and stabilize nitrogen as bioavailable ammonium, amino acids, and humic complexes — ready for plant uptake, with minimal loss.

This method mirrors the natural nitrogen cycle but within a controlled, circular, and zero-waste design.
Instead of adding synthetic nitrogen, we guide nature’s own chemistry back to harmony.

Closing Reflection

Nitrogen’s journey — from air to leaf, from life to decay, and back to air — reminds us that true fertility is a matter of circulation, not accumulation. Every living cell is part of this invisible covenant between earth and sky. When we farm in rhythm with that cycle, we’re not just feeding plants — we’re participating in the oldest conversation on Earth.