ArticleNature communications2025
Global-scale prevalence of low nutrient use efficiency across major crops.
Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Global patterns and feasible improvement potential of phosphorus use efficiency in cereal croplands.Nature food · 2026Article
- From Deficiency to Enrichment: Diverging Soil Phosphorus Trajectories Across China's Croplands (1980-2018).Global change biology · 2026Article
- Multiscale phosphorus loss in farmland driven by precipitation: effects of farmland type.Environmental monitoring and assessment · 2026Article
- Synergistic phosphorus fertilization with γ-polyglutamic acid enhances pepper yield via improved root development and nutrient uptake.BMC plant biology · 2026Article
- Plant-Associated Microbiomes: Crosstalk and Engineering to Improve Nutrient Use Efficiency (NUE) in Crops of Global Importance.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Root-Zone Nitrogen Fertilization Increases Oilseed Rape Yield: Reprogramming Rhizosphere N-Cycling and Strengthening Soil-Plant Coupling.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Response of Maize Yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency to Integrated Cover Crop Rotation and Nitrogen Management Practices.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Physiological and Molecular Mechanisms of Nitrogen Regulation on Grain Quality in Cereal Crops at Later Stages.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Systemic regulation of rhizosphere nutrient activation by polyol-chelated fertilizers: evidence and a conceptual framework.Frontiers in plant science · 2026Review
- Evidence of biological nitrification inhibition in barley to support sustainable nitrogen management.Sustainable microbiology · 2026Article
- Biochemical shifts inFrontiers in plant science · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
19 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Enhancing nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) use efficiency (NUE and PUE) is essential for advancing sustainable agriculture and reducing dependency on non-renewable fertilizers. However, the long-term dynamics of NUE and PUE across major crops remain poorly understood at a global scale. Here, we compile a comprehensive global database encompassing 3360 observations across 205 countries to analyze trends in NUE and PUE for major crops from 1961 to 2018. Today, PUE and NUE are still suboptimal, particularly in developing regions, emphasizing the need for context-specific strategies to improve nutrient use efficiency. Global mapping shows that NUE and PUE are highly context-dependent, with variations observed by crop type and region. For instance, rice achieves optimal NUE and PUE in tropical zones, while wheat performs best in temperate climates. Notably, maize continues to exhibit significant nutrient inefficiencies, especially in China and the United States, with considerable N and P surpluses. Taken together, this global analysis provides spatially explicit insights to guide region-specific efforts toward improving nutrient use efficiency, supporting sustainable agricultural practices and reducing global fertilizer dependence.
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