Global crop-specific nitrogen fertilization dataset in 1961-2020

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Environmental Science
• Data Science

Background:

• Nitrogen (N) is crucial for crop growth, but its overuse in fertilizers causes significant environmental problems.
• Existing agricultural N fertilizer datasets lack synchronization due to inconsistent resolutions and crop allocations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reconstruct a comprehensive, synchronized dataset of crop-specific N fertilization.
• To provide a high-resolution (5-arc-min) spatiotemporal dataset covering 1961-2020.

Main Methods:

• Integrated multiple datasets on agricultural N fertilizer application.
• Segmented N fertilization data by 21 crop groups, 13 fertilizer types, and 2 placements.
• Validated the reconstructed dataset against previous estimates.

Main Results:

• Developed a comprehensive N fertilization dataset at 5-arc-min resolution (~10 km x 10 km) from 1961-2020.
• The dataset includes N application rate, types, and placements, segmented by crop, fertilizer, and placement.
• The reconstructed data aligns well with existing estimates.

Conclusions:

• The developed spatiotemporal N fertilization dataset offers a synchronized resource for research.
• This dataset can be utilized in land surface models to assess the environmental and food security impacts of N fertilization practices.
• Facilitates better understanding of agricultural N impacts on climate change and sustainability.