Award: the second prize of the 2020 State Scientific and Technological Progress Award

Main participants: Zhou Wei, He Ping, Ai Chao, Sun Jianguang, Huang Shaowen, Wang Yujun, Yu Xichu, Sun Jingwen, Zhang Shuiqing, and Qiao Yan

Focused on the major national demand for reducing chemical fertilizer application and increasing fertilizer efficiency, the technology addresses the issues of chemical fertilizer application, fertilizer utilization and organic nutrient resource utilization in China. It takes main food crops such as corn, wheat, and rice as research objects, and studies fertilizer application reduction and efficiency increase. On the basis of crops' nutrient demands, the technology creates new recommended fertilization methods based on yield response and agronomic efficiency, and innovates key technologies for the efficient utilization of nutrient resources such as organic fertilizers and straw, develops new fertilizer products, and integrates the main food crop chemical fertilizer reduction and efficiency increase technology model. It has built a comprehensive theoretical and technical system for the efficient utilization of nutrient resources that has greatly improved the efficiency of nutrient resource utilization, crop yields and comprehensive benefits. Over the past three years, the technology has been applied in a total of 5.33 million hectares, increasing crop yield by 5-10 percent on average, reducing chemical nitrogen fertilizer application by 10-30 percent and that of chemical phosphate fertilizer by 10-20 percent, and improving the utilization rate of nitrogen fertilizer by 10-15 percent.