Chapter 13
Nitrogen Regulation in China’s Agricultural
Systems
Chaopu Ti and Xiaoyuan Yan
Abstract Nitrogen (N) fertilizer has played an important role in maintaining grain
production. The amount of crop N uptake doubled from 1980 to 2010, with total N
input increasing more than three times in the Chinese agricultural system during the
same period. High input has resulted in high output and surplus. More than 50% N
surplus can cause environmental problems and consequently threaten human health
and ecosystems services. Improving N use efficiency (NUE) is critical to maintain
crop productivity and environmental sustainability. However, historical NUE in
croplands in China decreased from 1980 to 2010. Several research efforts have
been conducted to improve NUE in China, such as the integrated soil-crop system
management (ISSM), knowledge-based N management, and livestock manure partially substituting for synthetic fertilizer. Moreover, China’s government has created
a series of programs, projects, and regulations to enhance NUE and reduce environmental risk, such as the soil testing and fertilizer recommendation (STFR) program
and “Zero Increase Action Plan for Fertilizer Use.” These technologies, policies, and
management practices can significantly increase crop yield and decrease reactive N
(Nr) losses. However, more research focused on integrated technology and management systems combined with socioeconomic is still needed in China in the future.
13.1 Introduction
As a key fundamental nutrient, nitrogen (N) plays an important role in sustaining
life. It can sustain food production and global population after it is converted into
reactive N (Nr) species (Galloway et al. 2004; Mueller et al. 2012). To meet global
food demands, agriculture consumes greater than 100 Tg N year
À1 of Nr, accounting
for more than 50% of the total annual terrestrial Nr (Sutton et al. 2013). A large
amount of N input to cropland has increased crop production by more than 40%
throughout the world (Li et al. 2009, Malhi et al. 2001). Nearly 50% of the world
C. Ti · X. Yan (*)
State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese
Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
e-mail: yanxy@issas.ac.cn
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
X. Liu, E. Du (eds.), Atmospheric Reactive Nitrogen in China,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8514-8_13
297
Nitrogen Regulation in China’s Agricultural
Systems
Chaopu Ti and Xiaoyuan Yan
Abstract Nitrogen (N) fertilizer has played an important role in maintaining grain
production. The amount of crop N uptake doubled from 1980 to 2010, with total N
input increasing more than three times in the Chinese agricultural system during the
same period. High input has resulted in high output and surplus. More than 50% N
surplus can cause environmental problems and consequently threaten human health
and ecosystems services. Improving N use efficiency (NUE) is critical to maintain
crop productivity and environmental sustainability. However, historical NUE in
croplands in China decreased from 1980 to 2010. Several research efforts have
been conducted to improve NUE in China, such as the integrated soil-crop system
management (ISSM), knowledge-based N management, and livestock manure partially substituting for synthetic fertilizer. Moreover, China’s government has created
a series of programs, projects, and regulations to enhance NUE and reduce environmental risk, such as the soil testing and fertilizer recommendation (STFR) program
and “Zero Increase Action Plan for Fertilizer Use.” These technologies, policies, and
management practices can significantly increase crop yield and decrease reactive N
(Nr) losses. However, more research focused on integrated technology and management systems combined with socioeconomic is still needed in China in the future.
13.1 Introduction
As a key fundamental nutrient, nitrogen (N) plays an important role in sustaining
life. It can sustain food production and global population after it is converted into
reactive N (Nr) species (Galloway et al. 2004; Mueller et al. 2012). To meet global
food demands, agriculture consumes greater than 100 Tg N year
À1 of Nr, accounting
for more than 50% of the total annual terrestrial Nr (Sutton et al. 2013). A large
amount of N input to cropland has increased crop production by more than 40%
throughout the world (Li et al. 2009, Malhi et al. 2001). Nearly 50% of the world
C. Ti · X. Yan (*)
State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese
Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
e-mail: yanxy@issas.ac.cn
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
X. Liu, E. Du (eds.), Atmospheric Reactive Nitrogen in China,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8514-8_13
297