Awards: Second Prize of State Scientific and Technological Progress Award

Lead researchers: Ren Tianzhi, Liu Hongbin, Fan Xianpeng, Zou Guoyuan, Zhai Limei, Hu Wanli, Zhang Fulin, Du Lianfeng, Wang Hongyuan, and Zheng Xiangqun

Overcoming the technical bottleneck of difficult quantification and large variation in farmland non-point source pollution monitoring, the project created a national farmland non-point source pollution monitoring platform. It also revealed the priming effect and background effect of farmland non-point source pollution of nitrogen and phosphorus, and worked out an accounting method for farmland non-point source pollution across the country. For the first time, the research found out the base number and key farmland areas of non-point source pollution of nitrogen and phosphorus, clarified the emission reduction effect of main agronomic measures, integrated the technology model of farmland non-point source pollution emission reduction, and applied the technology nationwide on a large scale.

According to the application statistics of nine provinces in China, the research results have been used in 13.27 million hectares of farmland over the past three years, saving 870,000 tons of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers (equivalent to pure), reducing emission of 64,100 tons of nitrogen and phosphorus, and generating 6.83 billion yuan ($1.03 billion) in economic benefit.

The project obtained 10 invention patents, nine utility model patents, and 27 software copyrights, and formulated 10 technical specifications. It published two books and 256 papers, including 47 SCI journal papers.

In addition, the research results have been applied by agricultural environmental protection agencies at all levels across China, providing scientific basis and technical support for national authorities to formulate agricultural environmental problem governance regulations and ecological environmental protection plans.