Articles | Volume 16, issue 1 
            
                
                    
            
            
            https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-525-2024
                    © Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under 
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
                the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-525-2024
                    © Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under 
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
                the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
A global FAOSTAT reference database of cropland nutrient budgets and nutrient use efficiency (1961–2020): nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
Cameron I. Ludemann
                                            Plant Production Systems Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
                                        
                                    Nathan Wanner
                                            Statistics Division, Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy
                                        
                                    Pauline Chivenge
                                            African Plant Nutrition Institute, Benguérir, Morocco
                                        
                                    
                                            currently at: International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Sustainable Impact Department, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
                                        
                                    Achim Dobermann
                                            International Fertilizer Association, Paris, France
                                        
                                    Rasmus Einarsson
                                            Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
                                        
                                    Patricio Grassini
                                            Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, USA
                                        
                                    Armelle Gruere
                                            International Fertilizer Association, Paris, France
                                        
                                    Kevin Jackson
                                            Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Frostburg, Maryland, USA
                                        
                                    Luis Lassaletta
                                            Department of Agricultural Production, ETSIAAB, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
                                        
                                    
                                            CEIGRAM, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
                                        
                                    Federico Maggi
                                            Environmental Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
                                        
                                    Griffiths Obli-Laryea
                                            Statistics Division, Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy
                                        
                                    Martin K. van Ittersum
                                            Plant Production Systems Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
                                        
                                    Srishti Vishwakarma
                                            Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Frostburg, Maryland, USA
                                        
                                    
                                            currently at: Joint Global Change Research Institute, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, College Park, Maryland, USA
                                        
                                    Xin Zhang
                                            Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Frostburg, Maryland, USA
                                        
                                    Francesco N. Tubiello
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
                                            
                                    
                                            Statistics Division, Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy
                                        
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                            Cited
42 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Quantification and comparison of subnational and national agricultural nitrogen flows in Denmark and Sweden D. Grados et al. 10.1088/1748-9326/adca4a
- Long-term variations (1970–2020) and spatial patterns of nitrogen and phosphorus soil budgets and fates in Indian agriculture H. Elsayed et al. 10.1007/s10705-024-10375-4
- Bayesian optimization with Optuna for enhanced soil nutrient prediction: a comparative study with genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization B. Dada et al. 10.1016/j.atech.2025.101136
- Coupled InVEST-GTWR modeling reveals scale-dependent drivers of N and P export in a Chinese mountainous region Z. Lin et al. 10.1016/j.jag.2025.104705
- Assessment of natural resource potential of the agroecosystems of Ukraine and the EU countries by phosphorus balance Y. Tarariko et al. 10.15407/agrisp12.01.003
- Assessing temporal dynamics of nitrogen surplus in Indian agriculture: district scale data from 1966 to 2017 S. Goyal et al. 10.1038/s41597-024-04023-3
- Reactive Nitrogen from Agriculture: A Review of Emissions, Air Quality, and Climate Impacts L. Luo et al. 10.1007/s40726-025-00360-y
- Genetic algorithm enhanced deep learning with data augmentation for nitrogen and potassium deficiency detection in eggplant K. Joshi et al. 10.1016/j.cpb.2025.100546
- Fine-tuning OsTCP19 expression offers broad adaptation scenarios for nitrogen-use efficiency improvement in rice Y. Liu et al. 10.1093/plphys/kiaf412
- Agroecosystem modeling and precision agriculture for sustainable nitrogen management J. Yin et al. 10.1016/j.ijagro.2025.100053
- Nitrogen management during decarbonization X. Zhang et al. 10.1038/s43017-024-00586-2
- Global Crop-Specific Fertilization Dataset from 1961–2019 F. Coello et al. 10.1038/s41597-024-04215-x
- Algae digestate biostimulants as an innovative solution for food system sustainability and productivity improvement I. Skapste et al. 10.3389/fsufs.2025.1656867
- Tiered maize and wheat nutrient removal coefficients estimated from available data C. Ludemann et al. 10.1007/s10705-024-10381-6
- Natural variation of OsWRKY23 drives difference in nitrate use efficiency between indica and japonica rice S. Zhang et al. 10.1038/s41467-025-56752-7
- Century-long reconstruction of gridded phosphorus surplus across Europe (1850–2019) M. Batool et al. 10.5194/essd-17-881-2025
- Impact of Livelihood Diversification on Rural Households’ Food and Nutrition Security: Evidence from West Shoa Zone of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia F. Haile et al. 10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.104521
- Estimating thresholds of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer rates for rice cropping systems in China Y. Liu et al. 10.3389/fpls.2024.1470774
- Towards a unified approach to prioritization of regenerative agricultural practices across cropping systems S. Sela et al. 10.1038/s44264-024-00031-3
- Optimizing nitrogen input in orchard systems to balance agronomic productivity and environmental protection B. Harerimana et al. 10.1007/s10705-025-10411-x
- Triple gains: More production, less nitrogen and greater diversity from cropland reallocation in England and Wales M. Almeida‐Furtado et al. 10.1111/1477-9552.12625
- On-farm nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium partial balances in three major rice production systems in sub-Saharan Africa T. Rakotoson et al. 10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109714
- Optimized Application of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Enhances Yield and Quality by Improving Nutrient Uptake Dynamics in Winter Wheat with Straw Return Q. Yang et al. 10.1007/s00344-025-11731-6
- Straw return combined with potassium fertilization improves potassium stocks in large-macroaggregates by increasing complex iron oxide under rice–oilseed rape rotation system Z. Xiong et al. 10.1016/j.still.2024.106404
- Modification of Exploration of Long‐term Nutrient Trajectories for Phosphorus (ELEMeNT-P) model to quantify legacy phosphorus dynamics in a typical watershed of eastern China H. Wu et al. 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.133718
- Stalk sap nitrate test as a potential tool for nitrogen fertilizer recommendations for maize N. Mahal et al. 10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109330
- Narrowing the ecological yield gap to sustain crop yields with less inputs M. van Ittersum et al. 10.1016/j.gfs.2025.100857
- Comparison of sweet and bitter almond oilquality: Impact of kernel skin and green supercritical CO2 extraction method O. Sayah et al. 10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.144540
- Considering spatial heterogeneity of cultivation conditions can effectively improve the assessment of nitrogen use at the provincial scale in China J. Jiang et al. 10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.112603
- Prospects for cereal self-sufficiency in sub-Saharan Africa M. van Ittersum et al. 10.1073/pnas.2423669122
- Towards site-specific nutrient management strategies: An open database in Senegal F. Gomez et al. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178926
- Cover crop potential of pea lines derived from crosses with nodulation mutants K. Brasier et al. 10.1002/agj2.70069
- NPKGRIDS: a global georeferenced dataset of N, P2O5, and K2O fertilizer application rates for 173 crops T. Nguyen et al. 10.1038/s41597-024-04030-4
- Nitrogen benchmarking for cropping systems S. Medinets & M. Sutton 10.1038/s43016-025-01201-3
- Potassium limits productivity in intensive cereal cropping systems in Southeast Asia G. Rizzo et al. 10.1038/s43016-024-01065-z
- Fertilizer dependency: a new indicator for assessing the sustainability of agrosystems beyond nitrogen use efficiency M. Quemada & L. Lassaletta 10.1007/s13593-024-00978-0
- Food Waste Management: A Way Forward for Ensuring Food Security and Sustainability . Sarthi et al. 10.36953/ECJ.27572832
- Desertification and Agrifood Systems: Restoration of Degraded Agricultural Lands in the Arab Region F. Ziadat et al. 10.3390/agriculture15121249
- Quantifying potassium requirement and removal across crop species W. Carciochi et al. 10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109717
- Identifying the critical potassium inputs for optimum yield, potassium use efficiency and soil fertility through potassium balance in a winter wheat-summer maize rotation system in North China M. Xu et al. 10.1016/j.still.2025.106743
- Modeling impacts of climate-induced yield variability and adaptations on wheat and maize in a sub-tropical monsoon climate - using fuzzy logic M. Kaium et al. 10.1038/s41598-025-09820-3
- A global FAOSTAT reference database of cropland nutrient budgets and nutrient use efficiency (1961–2020): nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium C. Ludemann et al. 10.5194/essd-16-525-2024
38 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Quantification and comparison of subnational and national agricultural nitrogen flows in Denmark and Sweden D. Grados et al. 10.1088/1748-9326/adca4a
- Long-term variations (1970–2020) and spatial patterns of nitrogen and phosphorus soil budgets and fates in Indian agriculture H. Elsayed et al. 10.1007/s10705-024-10375-4
- Bayesian optimization with Optuna for enhanced soil nutrient prediction: a comparative study with genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization B. Dada et al. 10.1016/j.atech.2025.101136
- Coupled InVEST-GTWR modeling reveals scale-dependent drivers of N and P export in a Chinese mountainous region Z. Lin et al. 10.1016/j.jag.2025.104705
- Assessment of natural resource potential of the agroecosystems of Ukraine and the EU countries by phosphorus balance Y. Tarariko et al. 10.15407/agrisp12.01.003
- Assessing temporal dynamics of nitrogen surplus in Indian agriculture: district scale data from 1966 to 2017 S. Goyal et al. 10.1038/s41597-024-04023-3
- Reactive Nitrogen from Agriculture: A Review of Emissions, Air Quality, and Climate Impacts L. Luo et al. 10.1007/s40726-025-00360-y
- Genetic algorithm enhanced deep learning with data augmentation for nitrogen and potassium deficiency detection in eggplant K. Joshi et al. 10.1016/j.cpb.2025.100546
- Fine-tuning OsTCP19 expression offers broad adaptation scenarios for nitrogen-use efficiency improvement in rice Y. Liu et al. 10.1093/plphys/kiaf412
- Agroecosystem modeling and precision agriculture for sustainable nitrogen management J. Yin et al. 10.1016/j.ijagro.2025.100053
- Nitrogen management during decarbonization X. Zhang et al. 10.1038/s43017-024-00586-2
- Global Crop-Specific Fertilization Dataset from 1961–2019 F. Coello et al. 10.1038/s41597-024-04215-x
- Algae digestate biostimulants as an innovative solution for food system sustainability and productivity improvement I. Skapste et al. 10.3389/fsufs.2025.1656867
- Tiered maize and wheat nutrient removal coefficients estimated from available data C. Ludemann et al. 10.1007/s10705-024-10381-6
- Natural variation of OsWRKY23 drives difference in nitrate use efficiency between indica and japonica rice S. Zhang et al. 10.1038/s41467-025-56752-7
- Century-long reconstruction of gridded phosphorus surplus across Europe (1850–2019) M. Batool et al. 10.5194/essd-17-881-2025
- Impact of Livelihood Diversification on Rural Households’ Food and Nutrition Security: Evidence from West Shoa Zone of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia F. Haile et al. 10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.104521
- Estimating thresholds of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer rates for rice cropping systems in China Y. Liu et al. 10.3389/fpls.2024.1470774
- Towards a unified approach to prioritization of regenerative agricultural practices across cropping systems S. Sela et al. 10.1038/s44264-024-00031-3
- Optimizing nitrogen input in orchard systems to balance agronomic productivity and environmental protection B. Harerimana et al. 10.1007/s10705-025-10411-x
- Triple gains: More production, less nitrogen and greater diversity from cropland reallocation in England and Wales M. Almeida‐Furtado et al. 10.1111/1477-9552.12625
- On-farm nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium partial balances in three major rice production systems in sub-Saharan Africa T. Rakotoson et al. 10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109714
- Optimized Application of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Enhances Yield and Quality by Improving Nutrient Uptake Dynamics in Winter Wheat with Straw Return Q. Yang et al. 10.1007/s00344-025-11731-6
- Straw return combined with potassium fertilization improves potassium stocks in large-macroaggregates by increasing complex iron oxide under rice–oilseed rape rotation system Z. Xiong et al. 10.1016/j.still.2024.106404
- Modification of Exploration of Long‐term Nutrient Trajectories for Phosphorus (ELEMeNT-P) model to quantify legacy phosphorus dynamics in a typical watershed of eastern China H. Wu et al. 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.133718
- Stalk sap nitrate test as a potential tool for nitrogen fertilizer recommendations for maize N. Mahal et al. 10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109330
- Narrowing the ecological yield gap to sustain crop yields with less inputs M. van Ittersum et al. 10.1016/j.gfs.2025.100857
- Comparison of sweet and bitter almond oilquality: Impact of kernel skin and green supercritical CO2 extraction method O. Sayah et al. 10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.144540
- Considering spatial heterogeneity of cultivation conditions can effectively improve the assessment of nitrogen use at the provincial scale in China J. Jiang et al. 10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.112603
- Prospects for cereal self-sufficiency in sub-Saharan Africa M. van Ittersum et al. 10.1073/pnas.2423669122
- Towards site-specific nutrient management strategies: An open database in Senegal F. Gomez et al. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178926
- Cover crop potential of pea lines derived from crosses with nodulation mutants K. Brasier et al. 10.1002/agj2.70069
- NPKGRIDS: a global georeferenced dataset of N, P2O5, and K2O fertilizer application rates for 173 crops T. Nguyen et al. 10.1038/s41597-024-04030-4
- Nitrogen benchmarking for cropping systems S. Medinets & M. Sutton 10.1038/s43016-025-01201-3
- Potassium limits productivity in intensive cereal cropping systems in Southeast Asia G. Rizzo et al. 10.1038/s43016-024-01065-z
- Fertilizer dependency: a new indicator for assessing the sustainability of agrosystems beyond nitrogen use efficiency M. Quemada & L. Lassaletta 10.1007/s13593-024-00978-0
- Food Waste Management: A Way Forward for Ensuring Food Security and Sustainability . Sarthi et al. 10.36953/ECJ.27572832
- Desertification and Agrifood Systems: Restoration of Degraded Agricultural Lands in the Arab Region F. Ziadat et al. 10.3390/agriculture15121249
4 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Quantifying potassium requirement and removal across crop species W. Carciochi et al. 10.1016/j.fcr.2024.109717
- Identifying the critical potassium inputs for optimum yield, potassium use efficiency and soil fertility through potassium balance in a winter wheat-summer maize rotation system in North China M. Xu et al. 10.1016/j.still.2025.106743
- Modeling impacts of climate-induced yield variability and adaptations on wheat and maize in a sub-tropical monsoon climate - using fuzzy logic M. Kaium et al. 10.1038/s41598-025-09820-3
- A global FAOSTAT reference database of cropland nutrient budgets and nutrient use efficiency (1961–2020): nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium C. Ludemann et al. 10.5194/essd-16-525-2024
Latest update: 30 Oct 2025
Short summary
                    Nutrient budgets help identify the excess or insufficient use of fertilizers and other nutrient sources in agriculture. They allow the calculation of indicators, such as the nutrient balance (surplus or deficit) and nutrient use efficiency, that help to monitor agricultural productivity and sustainability. This article describes a global cropland nutrient budget that provides data on 205 countries and territories from 1961 to 2020 (data available at https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/ESB).
                    Nutrient budgets help identify the excess or insufficient use of fertilizers and other nutrient...
                    
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