Wei Zhou*, Ping He, Guoqing Liang, ShutianLi, Chao Ai

　　Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, PR China .

　　Fertilizer use has improved food security in China over the past 3 decades. The adoption of nutrient best management practices should be embraced to ensure progress toward future food security, economic viability on farms and environmental protection.More recently the inefficient use of chemical fertilizer in certain locations in China has become an issue of public concern. This inefficient use is leading to environmental problems such as eutrophication of surface water, increase in greenhouse gas emissionsand soil acidification. Inefficient nutrient use also impacts crop yields and farming profitability. While overuse of chemical fertilizers exists to differing degrees in the main agricultural production areas, especially fruit and vegetable production.Organic nutrient sources, such as animal manure and crop residues, have not been fully used and returned to cropland. New types of fertilizers such as crop specific fertilizers, slow/controlled release fertilizers, water-soluble fertilizers and bio-fertilizers are limited and not commonly used. Traditional methods of fertilizer application such as broadcasting and surface topdressing are still popular, while mechanization of fertilization requires further promotion.

　　The main approaches to improve nutrient use efficiency by developed countries are: (1) establishment of nutrient management guidelines at national level, and implementation of 4R nutrient management (i.e. to apply fertilizer with the right fertilizer at the right rate, right time and right place); (2) promoting the application of livestock manure, and returning the crop straw into soils; (3) development of new fertilizers, i.e. compound fertilizer, crop specific fertilizer, slow/controlled release fertilizer, water soluble fertilizer; and (4) development of intelligent high efficiency fertilization techniques, such as precision fertilization, fertilizer deep application with machinery, fertigation, etc.There is a need to develop a set of research and development tasks to address this challenge. The objective of these research and development tasks is to provide an effective pathway to an improvement in chemical fertilizer management so as to achieve a future with safe and secure food supplies, a clean environment and economically viable farming operations and to provide important scientific and technological support to zero growth of chemical fertilizers in China by 2020.