Plants must have nitrates to help them grow. What must happen to nitrogen for it to be usable by plants?

Nitrogen fixation
Nitrification
Denitrification
Lightning strike

Nitrogen fixation

To make nitrogen usable by plants, it must undergo a process called nitrogen fixation. Nitrogen fixation is the process of turning atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into a usable form of nitrogen, such as ammonium (NH4+) or nitrate (NO3-). This process is typically carried out by certain bacteria, either free-living or symbiotic, which convert the atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can absorb through their roots.