Editing Fertilizer (section)

===Microbiological considerations===
Two sets of [[enzymatic reaction]]s are highly relevant to the efficiency of nitrogen-based fertilizers. 
;Urease
The first is the [[hydrolysis]] (reaction with water) of [[urea]] ({{chem2|CO(NH2)2}}). Many [[soil]] [[bacteria]] possess the enzyme [[urease]], which [[catalysis|catalyzes]] the conversion of urea to [[ammonium]] ion ({{chem2|NH4+}}) and [[bicarbonate]] [[ion]] ({{chem2|HCO3-}}).
;Ammonia oxidation
[[Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria]] (AOB), such as species of ''[[Nitrosomonas]]'', [[Redox|oxidize]] ammonia ({{chem2|NH3}}) to [[nitrite]] ({{chem2|NO2-}}), a process termed [[nitrification]].<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1007/s00374-005-0004-2|title= Availability of urea to autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria as related to the fate of <sup>14</sup>C- and <sup>15</sup>N-labeled urea added to soil|journal= Biology and Fertility of Soils|volume= 42|issue= 2|pages= 137–145|year= 2005| vauthors = Marsh KL, Sims GK, Mulvaney RL |bibcode= 2005BioFS..42..137M|s2cid= 6245255}}</ref> [[Nitrite-oxidizing bacteria]], especially ''[[Nitrobacter]]'', oxidize [[nitrite]] ({{chem2|NO2-}}) to [[nitrate]] ({{chem2|NO3-}}), which is extremely [[solubility|soluble]] and mobile and is a major cause of [[eutrophication]] and [[algal bloom]].