Corn requires large amounts of nitrogen fertilizer.As energy costs rise, so do the costs of nitrogen fertilizers and of corn.What is the major reason for this?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Haber process, which is used to synthesize ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen gases, requires a significant amount of energy, usually derived from natural gas or other fossil fuels. As energy costs increase, the cost of producing ammonia for nitrogen fertilizers also increases, subsequently raising the costs of nitrogen fertilizers and, by extension, the costs of corn production, which relies heavily on these fertilizers.

Corn Requires Large Amounts of Nitrogen Fertilizer