ammonification

9.9

To change organic matter into ammonia, usually by bacteria or chemical treatment

noun
/əˌmɒnɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/

Specialized

: amonificación

The process of ammonification plays a critical role in the nitrogen cycle by transforming organic matter into ammonia.

Examples

In agriculture, ammonification is essential for improving soil fertility by providing plants with vital nitrogen.
Under anoxic conditions, changes in microbial biodiversity occur, and reductive microbial processes, such as methanogenesis and nitrate ammonification, may dominate (Storey et al. 1999).

Academic text (2000)
Understanding ammonification can help farmers manage fertilizers more effectively to enhance crop yields.

Surface Forms

ammonification singular

ammonifications plural

Morphology

ammonification = ammonify (semi-transparent) = ammoni + fication

The noun is a regular process nominalization built from the technical verb 'ammonify', but the stem and spelling are specialized enough that the relation is not fully transparent for an average learner.

Etymology

Ammonification comes from the word ammonia, which was named long ago as 'salt of Ammon' after a place linked to the god 'Ammon', and from the ending -fication, which means 'making'. So, ammonification is literally the process of 'making' or producing ammonia, which is why it means treating something with ammonia today.