Discussion on the research direction of plant nutritional biology

The major research areas in plant nutritional biology include the physiological, molecular, and genetic mechanisms underlying nutrient remobilization, uptake, transportation, and utilization in plants. In the past three decades, there have been significant advances in plant nutritional biology in China. However, data from the National Science Foundation of China indicates that plant nutritional biology research has been less intensive than other related disciplines in the last ten years. In addition, few new generation scientists emerged in the field. Most research works are close to pure plant biology, shifting away from applied research in plant nutrition. Consequently, the green agricultural development and fertilizer industry upgrade are not supported. We suggest that plant nutritional biology researchers collaborate with peers in plant breeding, soil cultivation and crop management, ecological service, plant protection and fertilizer industry etc. They should focus on the current situation and technical demands of plant nutritional biology. Also, there is a need to conduct basic research on the bottleneck techniques in plant nutritional biology. The aforementioned would help identify new mechanisms in plant nutrition theory and establish practical solutions to the current challenges. Particularly, the following research areas should be stressed: the physiological and genetic mechanisms underlying plant response to nutrient supply, the interaction between nutrient and environmental signals, the effects of nutrient × soil × management on root growth, nutrient supply and biotic stresses, the nutritional and physiological mechanisms underlying high crop yield and efficient nutrient use, plant nutrition mechanisms of special valuable crops, and the biological pathways to upgrade fertilizer products.