Data-driven nitrogen management benchmarks support China's wheat self-sufficiency by 2030.

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Growing global food demand necessitates targeted crop production improvements.
• Quantitative benchmarks for nitrogen (N) management in Chinese wheat production are currently lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish regional-to-country scale nitrogen (N) management benchmarks for wheat production in China.
• To assess the current status of N management benchmark adoption among Chinese farmers.
• To project future improvements in N management and wheat production.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a modified approach from the EU Nitrogen Expert Panel to define N management benchmarks.
• Conducted a large-scale survey of farmers across China.
• Employed modeling to project impacts of optimized N management, soil fertility, and climate factors.

Main Results:

• Only 20% of China's wheat harvested area currently meets established N management benchmarks.
• Optimized N management, soil fertility, and climate factors significantly influence benchmark attainment (70% effect).
• Projected that 75% of China's wheat area could meet N management benchmarks by 2030, increasing production by 12%.

Conclusions:

• Establishing N management benchmarks is crucial for sustainable wheat production in China.
• Optimized agricultural practices can significantly improve N use efficiency and meet production targets.
• Achieving these benchmarks can ensure wheat self-sufficiency and resilience to climate change.