Beijing Scientist Wins Norman Borlaug Award
Cui Zhenling, a researcher and faculty member at China Agricultural University in Beijing, recently was awarded the Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application at the World Food Prize awards ceremony in Des Moines, Iowa, according to China Daily USA.
The prizes recognize individuals who increase the quality, quantity and availability of food on a global scale.
“Cui was recognized for his scientific work in improving soil health and increasing crop production through innovative fertilizer management strategies,” said author May Zhou in the article. “His work in China has led to improved nitrogen efficiency, resulting in higher maize and wheat yields and less soil degradation and water pollution.”
The $10,000 Borlaug Award, endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation, was established in 2012 to recognize exceptional science-based achievement in international agriculture and food production by an individual under the age of 40.
"I was really happy and surprised when I first heard the news," Cui told China Daily. "I am very proud that my team and I have won this prestigious prize on the international stage."
Cui began his research in 2000, and has since published numerous papers in the journal Nature over the years.
As the result of hundreds of on-farm experiments, Cui's system significantly reduced nitrogen fertilizer application by as much as 60% for wheat and 40% for corn. In addition, nitrogen loss was reduced by 73% for wheat and 43% for the corn throughout their growing seasons.
“Not satisfied with the 5 percent growth in yield this system produced, Cui pressed on with his experiments. By 2014, he had developed another system he called integrated soil-crop system management, which takes into account the density and type of crop,” the article said.
"The yield increased by 20 percent under this approach," said Cui.
He estimated that in the past 10 years, the system has been applied to a cumulative 80 million acres of China farmland, greatly reducing soil degradation and water pollution.
The award is named for Dr Norman E. Borlaug who received the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his life's work driving a "Green Revolution" of improved agriculture in the developing world.
