Abstract: Based on the relevant data of fertilizer application in the counties （cities and districts） of Shanxi Province from 2010 to 2020, the spatial auto-correlation analysis, Theil index and spatial econometric model were used to explore and analyze the spatio-temporal characteristics of fertilizer application, regional differences and driving factors of fertilizer application intensity in Shanxi Province from a multidimensional perspective. The results showed that the amount of chemical fertilizer applied in Shanxi Province showed an “N” type temporal change and showed concentration characteristics spatially. To be specific, the statistically high value of the chemical fertilizer applied amount was in 2013 and the low value was in 2019. The hot spots were concentrated in southern Shanxi, and the cold spots were concentrated in the Luliang Mountain Area. There was an obvious spatial imbalance. The fertilizer application amount in southern Shanxi, Xinding Basin and Datong Basin was significantly higher than that in other regions. The fertilizer application intensity in Shanxi Province showed the phenomenon of “low in the north, high in the south, increasing year by year”, with the main reason for the intensity difference being intra-regional differences. To be specific, the fertilizer application intensity in northern Shanxi was the lowest, followed by that in central Shanxi, while that in southern Shanxi was the highest, and it was in a time trend of steady growth year by year. Theil index results showed that intra-regional differences were the main cause of the total regional differences, and the total differences fluctuated, reaching the highest value in 2018. The spatial variation characteristics of fertilizer application intensity and amount at the county level were basically consistent. Among the main influencing factors of the fertilizer application intensity in Shanxi Province, the per capita cultivated land area, agricultural planting structure and agricultural labor transfer had a significant negative impact on the fertilizer application intensity, while the population had a positive impact, and the per capita income of rural residents and agricultural technology progress had no significant impact.

Key words: fertilizer application amount, fertilizer application intensity, spatio-temporal characteristics, evolution, driving factors, spatial econometric model, Shanxi Province