With the continuous increase in the global population, food security problems are increasing, particularly in China and India with 37% of the world population . In China, food production has greatly improved with the increased application of chemical N fertilizer. However, sustainable agricultural is attracting increased interest due to the depletion of fossil fuels and problems with food security. Industrially produced N fertilizer increases the environmental costs of agricultural production and environmental pollution . Additionally, the abuse of N fertilizer further increases the environmental cost and decreases N use efficiency . The inputs of chemical N fertilizer can be reduced by breeding N efficient cultivars, optimizing N nutrient management and choosing a suitable cropping system [4–6].