Abstract: Agriculture had been relied on the nutrients from the different organic fertilizers over thousands of years. Organic nutrients had played pivotal role in keeping low but stable crop yields and soil fertility. This period is refined as organic nutrition period. The foundation of mineral nutrition theory in the 19th century stimulated the development and application of chemical fertilizers, and chemical nutrients replaced organic ones quickly and became the main nutrient sources for crops. This period is considered as inorganic nutrition period. The application of chemical fertilizers significantly increased crop yields, at the same time, over-application of them results in a series of economic and environmental problems. Negating or doubting the application of chemical fertilizers could be heard here and there. Therefore, the history and roles of plant nutrition are recalled and the practices of integrated use of organic and chemical fertilizers are reviewed in this paper. It is pointed out that only using the traditional ways could not meet the needs of agriculture. The nutrient supply should be transferred from purely considering mineral nutrients (N, P, K, etc.) to comprehensively nutrients from chemical and organic sources. Nutrient utilization and management should also consider the concordant relation among plant-soil-microbial. More attentions should be paid on nutrient flows in the different scales, including field, catchment, and region; and their effects on quality of soil, water, and air are also needed to evaluate. Combining technological measures with policy tools is also key to increase nutrient use efficiency, and reduce their losses.