Integrated Nutrient Management for Food Security and Environmental Quality in China

While the concept of sustainability as a goal has become widely accepted, the dominant agricultural paradigm still considers high yield and reduced environmental impact being in conflict with one another. During the past 49 years (1961–2009), the 3.4-fold increase in Chinese agricultural food production can be partly attributed to a 37-fold increase in N fertilization and a 91-fold increase in P fertilization, but the environment costs have been very high. New advances for sustainability of agriculture and ecosystem services will be needed during the coming 50 years to improve nutrient use efficiency (NUE) while increasing crop productivity and reducing environmental risk. Here, we advocate and develop integrated nutrient management (INM) based on more than 20 years of studies. In this INM approach, the key components comprise (1) optimizing nutrient inputs by taking all possible nutrient sources into consideration, (2) matching nutrient supply in root zone with crop requirements spatially and temporally, (3) reducing N losses in intensively managed cropping systems, and (4) taking all possible yield-increasing measures into consideration. Recent large-scale application of INM for cereal, vegetable, and fruit cropping systems has shed light on how INM can lead to significantly improved NUE, while increasing crop yields and reducing environmental risk. The INM has already influenced Chinese agricultural policy and national actions, and resulted in increasing food production with decreased climb of chemical fertilizer consumption at a national scale over recent years. The INM can thus be considered an effective agricultural paradigm to ensure food security and improve environmental quality worldwide, especially in countries with rapidly developing economies.