A NEW APPROACH TO HOLISTIC NITROGEN MANAGEMENT IN CHINA

Highlights

● Progress on nitrogen management in agriculture is overviewed in China.

● 4R principles are key to high N use efficiency and low N losses in soil-crop systems.

● A new framework of food-chain-N-management is proposed.

● China’s success in N management provides models for other countries.

Abstract

Since the 1980s, the widespread use of N fertilizer has not only resulted in a strong increase in agricultural productivity but also caused a number of environmental problems, induced by excess reactive N emissions. A range of approaches to improve N management for increased agricultural production together with reduced environmental impacts has been proposed. The 4R principles (right product, right amount, right time and right place) for N fertilizer application have been essential for improving crop productivity and N use efficiency while reducing N losses. For example, site-specific N management (as part of 4R practice) reduced N fertilizer use by 32% and increased yield by 5% in China. However, it has not been enough to overcome the challenge of producing more food with reduced impact on the environment and health. This paper proposes a new framework of food-chain-nitrogen-management (FCNM). This involves good N management including the recycling of organic manures, optimized crop and animal production and improved human diets, with the aim of maximizing resource use efficiency and minimizing environmental emissions. FCNM could meet future challenges for food demand, resource sustainability and environmental safety, key issues for green agricultural transformation in China and other countries.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

4R technology / food chain N management / N use efficiency / soil-crop system / sustainable management

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41425007), the National Key R&D Project of China (2018YFC0213302), the UK-China Virtual Joint Centre for Improved Nitrogen Agronomy, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation), Sino-German International Research Training Group AMAIZE-P (328017493/GRK 2366), and the High-level Team Project of China Agricultural University.

Compliance with ethics guidelines

Xuejun Liu, Zhenling Cui, Tianxiang Hao, Lixing Yuan, Ying Zhang, Baojing Gu, Wen Xu, Hao Ying, Weifeng Zhang, Tingyu Li, Xiaoyuan Yan, Keith Goulding, David Kanter, Robert Howarth, Carly Stevens, Jagdish Ladha, Qianqian Li, Lei Liu, Wim de Vries, and Fusuo Zhang declare that they have no conflicts of interest or financial conflicts to disclose. This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

The Author(s) 2022. Published by Higher Education Press. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)