Jenny Chen: Nitrogen Deficiency

The sun slumbers away, filtering the world into one monochrome color. The buzzing of the bees dies down to the chattering of the trees, swaying against the icy winds to celebrate the changes of their golden scarlet leaves. But not all are up to the autumnal mood. Today the wind came as fiercely as before, tossing the crispy-yellow flowering plant frantically around, showering its pollen in its dramatic flair before finally coming to a stop. The sun is out, and the tallest, perennial goldenrod rose from its grace, standing proudly with its greenery leaves. But at the lowest of the leaves sprouted from the tallest goldenrod was a manifestation of the color yellow and brown that slowly drained away its vibrant life.

The tallest goldenrod’s leaves branch out from the stem-like layers of flower, smooth around the edge and slender like a woman’s hand. Its leaves basked in the sunlight, taking every ounce of the warmth from the grass below. The rest of the mini goldenrods, grass, and white-ester flowers stared in awe at its radiance with the bright fluorescent flowering crowning on its head. But behind the glorious beauty manifest the ugliness of yellow and brown stretches inwards towards the stem, imprinted with black polka-dots that pervade the entire leaves and transform them into its burnt-like state. The leaves curl themselves as if ashamed by their bashful appearance. The color climbs towards the upper layer of the leaves as if hungry for more, the color continues to climb, as the rest of the grass and white-asher flowers can only watch and pray for the goldenrod’s safety. The monstrous color is also known as nitrogen deficiency. But they are not the only ones known for their gluttonous belly.

All plants need to eat. The ingredients of making their dish consist of simple ingredients. On the plant, tiny fungus lives on the roots, acting as a harvester. The fungus stretches and expands like small webs taking in water and minerals and sucking them up towards the stem as it pervades towards the leaves. Within those leaves are tiny opened pores called stomata, breathing in the carbon dioxide as it dissolves in the water, giving the food a hint of spice to complete the dish. Lastly, thanks to the chlorophyll giving the leaves its green color, it makes the plant easier to absorb the sunlight, cooking all these ingredients together and making the plant’s all-time favorite dish- sugar. The sugar circulates inside the plant, ensuring that every part of it is well-fed and healthy.

However, a kitchen nightmare has occurred inside the goldenrods. The leaves are losing their greenery due to the lack of nitrogen molecules they take in from the soil. Without the presence of nitrogen molecules in the plants, it hinders the process of sugar production, stunting the goldenrods’ growth. The goldenrods bloomed early, showering within its alluring petals but did not manage to catch the eyes of the bees with its tiny appearance. The bees buzz away, leading the goldenrods in pure disappointment as their petals droop. The goldenrods can only rely on the merciless wind to spread their pollen with no pollinator in sight, hoping that its kind can survive. But the chances are slim when they are having a major struggle with nitrogen deficiency, and the roots of this problem lie in the soil.

The soil was not of a Masterchef quality. The goldenrods’ leaves shrivel under the taste of the saltiness and curl their leaves further inwards to the stem to maintain what’s left of its body heat from the sip of the cold water in the soil. It was so nasty to point out that other goldenrods shared the same droopy expression to show dissatisfaction. The following week was not so great either when heavy rain nearly stuffed the goldenrods to the fullest, to the point that other smaller goldenrods toppled on top of the tall grass in complete surrender. As the following days went by, the mini goldenrods never wakes up for their morning call, as its leaves are interwoven with the grass giving a sense of comfort, as the flowering withered away.

Fortunately, there are solutions provided for the heavily stressed plants from nitrogen deficiency- the nitrogen fixer plants and fertilizers. All plants loved to be surrounded by other species, as it could not help but make them feel so popularized. This is why adding nitrogen fixer plants like clover, beans, and peas can put a smile on the goldenrods’ shrunk, crispy flowering. These nitrogen fixer plants have tiny pods attached to their roots containing bacteria that expels more nitrogen embedded in the soil for the neighboring plants to receive. Not to mention, when these fixer plants wither away, the pod pops open as all the tiny bacteria scrambles away providing a sufficient amount of nitrogen cycling through the plants allowing them to continue to see the upcoming sunrise.

However, these nitrogen fixer plants are a double-edged sword that must be carefully used, for the cure can become the poison. The excess nitrogen in the soil becomes a battleground with the grass due to the increase of biomass of the grass, decreasing species richness. The grass grows taller than floral plants, hiding them like a thick blanket that inhibits the pollinators from visiting the diverse floral plants. Not to mention, with the insane height that the grass grew, it was enslaved by its own body weight, toppling on other plants and flowers, shielding them like an umbrella from the sunlight and thus unable to produce any sugar for food.

The other solution- the fertilizer- is a simple, quick dessert for the plants. It adds nitrogen onto the soil for the plants to feed on. However, the fertilizer is not embedded in the soil to prevent it from leeching off by the rain, which will then be a runoff in the river, causing significant algae pollution affecting the water quality to both the environment and the people. It sucks away the oxygen in the water, suffocating the fish and other aquatic life due to the vast amount of algae present. People drinking the water became sickly ill due to the toxins released by the algae causing major health problems that can even lead to death. These devilish solutions may not be viewed as highly favorable, but it is essential to keep the soil’s nitrogen levels in check to keep the plants thriving, providing food for animals, air for people to breathe, and a location for insects, fungi, and predators to nest within the area surrounded by beautiful, rich forest.

This idealized world filled with the richness of nutrients and liveliness from the organisms will be a perfect dream for the tallest goldenrod now snoozing off as the sun rises up from the misty horizon. The goldenrod watches in its final breath as it succumbs to the nitrogen deficiency with all its friends and family following right behind them on December 5th, 2021. The journey of the goldenrods has come to an end until the seasonal Spring, where it blossoms once more into a bright, happy flower.