Chestnut (Castanea mollissima Blume) belongs to Fagaceae section Castanea Mill category defoliating arbor. It is a local nut tree and widely planted for high economy benefit. Chestnuts take “orient pearl” or “sweet chestnuts” reputation for its nutrition and dainty. The yield of chestnuts in China was about 800,000 tons in 2004, accounting for 71.7% in the world.
Hubei Province is suitable for chestnut planting. Chestnuts have been planted for a long time in this province. In 2006, the chestnuts planting area reached 200,000 hm² with yield 94,490 tons in Hubei Province. Luotian, Macheng, Suizhou, Dawu and Jingshan counties are famous for chestnuts planting.
Many problems have been found in chestnuts traditional management, particularly in the chestnut fertilization. The purpose of this project is to increase chestnut yield and improve nut quality and provide better nutrient management measures for local farmers. It was implemented by Hubei Academy of Forestry Science since 2009.