Innovative nitrogen management technologies to improve agricultural production and environmental protection in intensive Chinese agriculture. Subproject: Plant Nutrition and Field Trials in North China

New technologies and innovative agricultural practices together with a guidance of policy and decision makers will optimize the agricultural production and protect the environment inintensive Chinese agriculture. The project will strongly contribute to extending technology inChina by formulating and implementing agro-tech extension programs, by introducing, testingand demonstrating new techniques, products, innovative management practices and extensionwork in different representative cropping systems and for different farm sizes. The aim is to reduce the excessive mineral nitrogen fertilization for a highly sustainable and resource-saving production in intensive Chinese agriculture. Improvements in nitrogen and water management will be able to dramatically optimize China’s agriculture in terms of productivity, cost efficiency, resilience and self-sufficiency, to protect the environment from nitrogenpollution, to decrease global warming and to relieve the energy crisis.