CANR promotes nutrient management, water quality efforts in China
UD's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources is working with China Agricultural University.

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8:19 a.m., Nov. 10, 2010----The University of Delaware College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) has recently taken a leadership role in organizing and presenting at two international symposia in Beijing, China. Through an ongoing partnership with China Agricultural University (CAU), CANR officials say they hope to provide sound advice and direction for the latest agricultural issues in China.

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In 2008, UD signed an agreement with CAU and the University of Pennsylvania Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, to participate in joint research and exchange activities.

The fourth International Symposium on Phosphorus Dynamic in the Soil-Plant Continuum (ISPDSPC) provided a forum for international scientists to share their latest research findings and knowledge on phosphorus dynamics and management in food-producing and other managed and unmanaged ecosystems.

At this conference, keynote speeches were given by Donald Sparks, S. Hallock du Pont Chair of Soil Chemistry, and Tom Sims, deputy dean of CANR and T. A. Baker Professor of Soil and Environmental Chemistry.

Sims was a part of the international steering committee for this event. There were approximately 300 people in attendance.

Following ISPDSPC was the third International Workshop on Nutrient Management Technology and Policy, which was hosted by CAU and UD, and also joined by Wageningen University and Research Centre of the Netherlands.

Sims presented a keynote talk entitled “Nutrient Management Strategies in the USA: Integrating Science, Policy, and Management to Sustain Agricultural Productivity and Protect the Environment.”

David Hansen, associate professor of soil and environmental quality and Cooperative Extension specialist for nutrient management, spoke about the issues related to the development of a comprehensive nutrient management training program in China.

This conference also provided CAU graduate students with a training course on nutrient management tools and nutrient balance at different scales. U.S. and European experts alike shared their experiences with and how to improve upon best nutrient management practices and policies.

After the conference in Beijing, CAU hosted a tour of the new Quzhou agricultural research center, where a large-scale Chinese project focused on improving nutrient management, protecting water quality, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions is now underway.

“At CANR, our nutrient management efforts have been recognized globally,” Sims said. “By using our years of research and extension experience on nutrient management in Delaware and Pennsylvania, we hope to put China's researchers in a better position to solve their agri-environmental problems.”

In August 2011, the fourth International Workshop on Nutrient Management Technology and Policy will be hosted at UD. For more information about this workshop, see the Global Partnership on Nutrient Management website.

Article by Rachael Dubinsky

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