Abstract:Chemical fertilizers play key roles in food security and crop production in modern agriculture. However, misuse of chemical fertilizers can damage the ecological environment due to large amounts of nutrient loss. Both production and consumption of chemical fertilizers in China have increased greatly from 1950 (<0.05Mt/yr) to 2009 (>50Mt/yr). The rapid increase in chemical fertilizers has substantially improved crop yield and production while overuse of chemical fertilizers has also caused serious eco-environmental problems. Therefore, in order to realize the sustainable development of Chinese agriculture and its environment, we strongly recommend an integrated nutrient resource management together with the national soil testing and fertilizer recommendation action, which is crucial to improve the use efficiency of various nutrients from both chemical and organic fertilizers and other sources.