China's 2012 Scholar Award Recipients

	Ms. Weini Wang is in a combined M.Sc. - Ph.D. program in plant nutrition at Huazhong Agricultural University in Wuhan, China. Her dissertation is titled “Regional evaluation of fertilization effects of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and estimating appropriate fertilizer application rates for rice production: A case study of Hubei province.” Some objectives of her study include assessing variation in soil fertility among paddy fields, evaluating fertilizer use efficiency of rice, establishing predictors and classification systems of indigenous soil nutrient supply capacity in paddy fields, developing appropriate fertilizer recommendation methods, and estimating optimum fertilizer application rates for rice over large domains. For the future, Ms. Wang intends to continue research and extension efforts to improve crop yields and farmer profits.
	Mr. Guangjie Li is pursuing his Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics of Plant Nutrition at the Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Science in Nanjing, China. His dissertation title is “Study on the mechanisms of plant’s adaptation to high ammonium and low potassium stress by using genetic mutation technique.” A native of Jinan, Shandong province, Mr. Guangjie’s research is focused on evaluating mechanisms to optimize K absorption efficiency of the plant so as to improve the plant’s ability to adapt to high NH4 conditions resulting from a continuous overuse of N fertilizer on farms. In the future, Mr. Guangjie hopes to be in a faculty position at a leading university and continue research and extension work on plant nutrition.
	Mr. Zhanjun Liu is working toward a Ph.D. in plant nutrition at the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing, China. His research work is on the characteristics and assessment of soil quality of low-yielding paddy soils in South China. The work is aimed at finding out the limiting factors and improving rice yields by determining the scale and distribution of paddy farms, analyzing soil samples for their physical, chemical, and biological properties, and building a database for future use in South China. Mr. Liu’s career goal is to become an agricultural scientist to increase crop yields, improve farmer profits, and improve agricultural sustainability.
	Mr. Yunfeng Peng is working on a Ph.D. at China Agricultural University in Beijing, China. His dissertation is titled “Effect of nitrogen supplies on root and mineral nitrogen distribution in soil profile and carbon/nitrogen interactions between source and sink of field-grown maize.” The main objectives of this study are: (a) comparing root distribution of N efficient and inefficient maize inbred lines in a soil with sufficient N supplies, (b) examining plant N uptake, temporal and spatial distributions of maize roots, and mineral N concentration in the soil profile during whole maize growth period, and (c) investigating allocation and remobilization of carbohydrates and N between leaf and developing ear under field conditions. Mr. Peng’s career goal is to become an agricultural scientist to study crop growth responses to nutrient stress and develop new crop management practices to increase crop yields and enhance fertilizer use efficiency.

The IPNI Scholar Award recipients are selected by regional committees of IPNI scientific staff. The awards are presented directly to the students at their universities and no specific duties are required of them. Graduate students in the disciplines of soil and plant sciences including agronomy, horticulture, ecology, soil fertility, soil chemistry, crop physiology, and other areas related to plant nutrition are encouraged to apply.