Nitrification

A two-step aerobic microbial process in the nitrogen cycle in which ammonia (NH₃) is first oxidised to nitrite (NO₂⁻) by bacteria such as Nitrosomonas, then nitrite is oxidised to nitrate (NO₃⁻) by Nitrobacter. The net result — ammonium → nitrate — converts a form of nitrogen largely unavailable to most plants into the plant-assimilable nitrate form, making nitrification essential to soil fertility and agricultural productivity. Inhibiting nitrification (using nitrification inhibitors such as DCD or DMPP) is a strategy to reduce N₂O emissions from fertilised soils, relevant to India's climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.