Green revolution has boosted crop yields by the development of varieties which rely on high fertilizer application. Since then, higher productivity has largely witnessed excessive nitrogen (N) fertilizer application resulting in many environmentally and agronomically unsustainable consequences. One possible solution to this problem is to develop varieties with efficient N use endowed with genetically superior N metabolizing machinery, thereby significantly reducing N loss in soil and facilitating gainful yield performance at lower N conditions. Nitrate (NO₃⁻) is the major form of N acquired by plants in aerobic soils. Hence, its efficient acquisition, transport, assimilation into complex organic compounds, and overall homeostasis is crucial to ensure productivity under optimal and suboptimal N conditions. Transcription factors are prime regulators of these processes, and insights into their mechanism of action and the resultant effect on N metabolism are crucial to generating crops with efficient and durable nitrogen use efficiency. The present review, therefore, presents a comprehensive updated account of major N responsive transcription factor families, their cross-talk with other growth factors, and explores existing and potential areas of their biotechnological application to maximize crop yields.

绿色革命通过开发依赖高施肥的品种提高了作物产量。从那时起，更高的生产力在很大程度上见证了过量施氮 (N) 肥料，导致许多环境和农艺不可持续的后果。该问题的一种可能解决方案是开发具有遗传优势的氮代谢机制的高效氮利用品种，从而显着减少土壤中的氮损失并促进在低氮条件下的增产性能。硝酸盐（NO ₃ ^-) 是好氧土壤中植物获得的主要氮形式。因此，其有效的获取、运输、同化为复杂的有机化合物和整体稳态对于确保最佳和次优 N 条件下的生产力至关重要。转录因子是这些过程的主要调节剂，深入了解其作用机制和对氮代谢产生的影响对于产生具有高效和持久氮利用效率的作物至关重要。因此，本综述全面更新了主要的氮响应转录因子家族、它们与其他生长因子的相互作用，并探索了其生物技术应用的现有和潜在领域，以最大限度地提高作物产量。