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Yao Z, Guo H, Wang Y, Zhan Y, Zhang T, Wang R, Zheng X, Butterbach-Bahl K. A global meta-analysis of yield-scaled N 2 O emissions and its mitigation efforts for maize, wheat, and rice. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17177. [PMID: 38348630 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
Maintaining or even increasing crop yields while reducing nitrous oxide (N2 O) emissions is necessary to reconcile food security and climate change, while the metric of yield-scaled N2 O emission (i.e., N2 O emissions per unit of crop yield) is at present poorly understood. Here we conducted a global meta-analysis with more than 6000 observations to explore the variation patterns and controlling factors of yield-scaled N2 O emissions for maize, wheat and rice and associated potential mitigation options. Our results showed that the average yield-scaled N2 O emissions across all available data followed the order wheat (322 g N Mg-1 , with the 95% confidence interval [CI]: 301-346) > maize (211 g N Mg-1 , CI: 198-225) > rice (153 g N Mg-1 , CI: 144-163). Yield-scaled N2 O emissions for individual crops were generally higher in tropical or subtropical zones than in temperate zones, and also showed a trend towards lower intensities from low to high latitudes. This global variation was better explained by climatic and edaphic factors than by N fertilizer management, while their combined effect predicted more than 70% of the variance. Furthermore, our analysis showed a significant decrease in yield-scaled N2 O emissions with increasing N use efficiency or in N2 O emissions for production systems with cereal yields >10 Mg ha-1 (maize), 6.6 Mg ha-1 (wheat) or 6.8 Mg ha-1 (rice), respectively. This highlights that N use efficiency indicators can be used as valuable proxies for reconciling trade-offs between crop production and N2 O mitigation. For all three major staple crops, reducing N fertilization by up to 30%, optimizing the timing and placement of fertilizer application or using enhanced-efficiency N fertilizers significantly reduced yield-scaled N2 O emissions at similar or even higher cereal yields. Our data-driven assessment provides some key guidance for developing effective and targeted mitigation and adaptation strategies for the sustainable intensification of cereal production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhisheng Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
- College of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Haojie Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
- College of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Yan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Yang Zhan
- State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
- College of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Tianli Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Rui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Xunhua Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
- College of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Klaus Butterbach-Bahl
- State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
- Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research, Atmospheric Environmental Research, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
- Pioneer Center Land-CRAFT, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
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de Oliveira AD, Ribeiro FP, Figueiredo CCD, Muller AG, Vitoria Malaquias J, Santos ILD, Sá MACD, Soares JPG, Santos MVAD, Carvalho AMD. "Effects of soil management, rotation and sequence of crops on soil nitrous oxide emissions in the Cerrado: A multi-factor assessment". JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 348:119295. [PMID: 37827072 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
The emission of nitrous oxide (N2O), one of the main greenhouse gases, which contributes significantly to global warming, is a major challenge in modern agriculture. The effects of land use systems on N2O emissions are the result of multiple variables, whose interactions need to be better understood. In this sense, this study analyzed the possible effects of different soil managements, crop rotations and sequences, as well as edaphoclimatic factors causing N2O emissions from soils in the Cerrado biome (scrubland). The following four land-use systems were evaluated: 1) No-tillage cultivation with biennial crop rotations and sequences: legume-grass and alternating grass-legume crops in the second season - NT-SS/MP; 2) No-tillage with biennial rotations and sequences: grass-legume and alternating second crop of legume-grass - NT-MP/SS; 3) Conventional planting with disc harrow and biennial legume-grass rotation-CT-S/M; and 4) Native Cerrado (CE), no agricultural land use. The legume and grass species, planted in the two no-tillage treatments were soybean, followed by sorghum BRS3.32 (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) (SS), and maize, followed by pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) (MP). Nitrous oxide emissions were evaluated for 25 months (October 2013 to October 2015), and the results were grouped in annual, total, growing and non-growing seasons, as well as yield-scaled N2O emissions. The mean N2O fluxes were 24.14, 15.71, 32.49 and 1.87 μg m-2 h-1 in the NT-SS/MP, NT-MP/SS, CT-S/M and Cerrado areas respectively. Cumulative N2O fluxes over the total evaluation period from the systems NT-SS/MP, NT-MP/SS, CT-S/M and CE, respectively, were 3.47, 2.29, 4.87 and 0.26 kg ha-1. A correlation between N2O fluxes and the environmental variables was observed, with the exception of water-filled pore space (WFPS), but N2O peaks were associated with WFPS values of >65%. In the 2014-2015 growing season, yield-scaled N2O emissions from NT-MP/SS were lower than from CT-S/M. A multi-factor approach indicated that conventional management with main season soybean or maize and no alternating crop sequence intensifies soil N2O emissions in the Cerrado.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Artur Gustavo Muller
- Embrapa Cerrados, BR 020, Km 18, CEP. 08223 - 73310 - 970, Planaltina, DF, Brazil
| | | | - Isis Lima Dos Santos
- Universidade de Brasília, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro - 70910-900 - Brasília, DF, Brazil
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Iboko MP, Dossou-Yovo ER, Obalum SE, Oraegbunam CJ, Diedhiou S, Brümmer C, Témé N. Paddy rice yield and greenhouse gas emissions: Any trade-off due to co-application of biochar and nitrogen fertilizer? A systematic review. Heliyon 2023; 9:e22132. [PMID: 38045115 PMCID: PMC10692810 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Combined application of biochar and nitrogen (N) fertilizer could offer opportunities to increase rice yield and reduce methane emissions from paddy fields. However, this strategy may increase nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, hence its interactive effects on GHG emissions, global warming potential (GWP) and GHG intensity (GHGI) remained poorly understood. We conducted a systematic review to i) evaluate the overall effects of combined application of biochar and N fertilizer rates on GHGs emissions, GWP, rice yield, and GHGI, ii) determine the quantities of biochar and N-fertilizer application that increase rice yield and reduce GHGs emissions and GHGI, and iii) examine the effects of biochar and different types of nitrogen fertilizers on rice yield, GHGs, GWP, and GHGI using data from 45 research articles and 183 paired observations. The extracted data were grouped based on biochar and N rates used by researchers as well as N fertiliser types. Accordingly, biochar rates were grouped into low (≤9 tons/ha), medium (>9 and ≤ 20 ton/ha) and high (>20 tons/ha), while N rates were grouped into three categories: low (≤140 kg N/ha), medium (>140 and ≤ 240 kg N/ha), and high (>240 kg N/ha). For fertiliser types, N rates were grouped as: low (≤150 kg N/ha), medium (>150 and ≤250 kg N/ha), and high (>250 kg N/ha) and N types into: urea, NPK, NPK plus urea (NPK_urea) and NPK plus (NH4)2SO4 (NPK_(NH4)2SO4). Results showed that biochar and N fertiliser significantly affected GHGs emissions, GWP, GHGI and rice yield. Compared to control (i.e., sole N application), co-application of high biochar and medium N rates significantly decreased CH4 emission (82 %) while low biochar with low N rates enhanced CH4 emission (114 %). In contrast, high biochar combined with low N decreased N2O emission by 91 % whereas medium biochar and high N rates resulted in 82 % increase in N2O emission relative to control. The highest GWP and GHGI were observed under co-application of medium biochar and low N rates. Highest rice yield was observed under low biochar rate and high N rate. Regardless of N fertiliser type and biochar rates, increasing N rates increased rice yield and N2O emissions. The highest GWP and GHGI were recorded under sole NPK application. Combination of low biochar and medium N produced low GHGs emissions, high grain yield, and the lowest GHGI, and could be recommended to smallholder farmers to increase rice yield and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from paddy rice field. Further studies should be conducted to evaluate the effects of biochar properties on soil characteristics and greenhouse gas emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maduabuchi P. Iboko
- Graduate Research Program, Climate Change and Agriculture, Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako (USTTB), Mali
- Graduate Research Program, Climate Change and Agriculture, Institut Polytechnique Rural de Formation et de Recherche Appliquée, Katibougou, Mali
- School of Agriculture, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
| | | | - Sunday E. Obalum
- Department of Soil Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 410001, Nigeria
| | - Chidozie J. Oraegbunam
- Global Station for Food, Land & Water Resources, Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Kita 9 Nishi 9 Kita-Ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8589, Japan
| | - Siméon Diedhiou
- Graduate Research Program, Climate Change and Agriculture, Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako (USTTB), Mali
- Graduate Research Program, Climate Change and Agriculture, Institut Polytechnique Rural de Formation et de Recherche Appliquée, Katibougou, Mali
- School of Agriculture, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Christian Brümmer
- Thünen Institute of Climate-Smart Agriculture, Bundesallee 50, 38116, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Niaba Témé
- Labo Biotechnologie, Institute D'Economie Rurale, Sotuba, Mali
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Zhang X, Liu M, Zheng F, Dong Y, Hua Y, Chu J, He M, Dai X. Optimizing sowing patterns in winter wheat can reduce N 2O emissions and improve grain yield and NUE by enhancing N uptake. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1176293. [PMID: 37324671 PMCID: PMC10264632 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1176293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Increasing nitrogen (N) input is essential to satisfy the rising global wheat demand, but this increases nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, thereby exacerbating global climate change. Higher yields accompanied by reduced N2O emissions are essential to synergistically reduce greenhouse warming and ensure global food security. In this study, we conducted a trial using two sowing patterns (conventional drilling sowing [CD] and wide belt sowing [WB], with seedling belt widths of 2-3 and 8-10 cm, respectively) with four N rates (0, 168, 240, and 312 kg ha-1, hereafter N0, N168, N240, and N312, respectively) during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 growing seasons. We investigated the impacts of growing season, sowing pattern, and N rate on N2O emissions, N2O emissions factors (EFs), global warming potential (GWP), yield-scaled N2O emissions, grain yield, N use efficiency (NUE), plant N uptake and soil inorganic N concentrations at jointing, anthesis, and maturity. The results showed that sowing pattern and N rate interactions influenced the N2O emissions markedly. Compared to CD, WB significantly reduced cumulative N2O emissions, N2O EFs, GWP, and yield-scaled N2O emissions for N168, N240, and N312, with the largest reduction seen at N312. Furthermore, WB markedly improved plant N uptake and reduced soil inorganic N compared to CD at each N rate. Correlation analyses indicated that WB mitigated the N2O emissions at various N rates mainly through efficient N uptake and reduced soil inorganic N. The highest grain yield occurred under a combination of WB and N312, under which the yield-scaled N2O emissions were equal to the local management (sowing with CD at N240). In conclusion, WB sowing could synergistically decrease N2O emissions and obtain high grain yields and NUEs, especially at higher N rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiu Zhang
- College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong, China
| | - Manyu Liu
- College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong, China
- Agricultural and Rural Bureau of Mengyin County, Linyi, Shandong, China
| | - Feina Zheng
- College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong, China
| | - Yuanjie Dong
- College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong, China
| | - Yifan Hua
- College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong, China
- College of Agriculture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jinpeng Chu
- College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong, China
| | - Mingrong He
- College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong, China
| | - Xinglong Dai
- College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong, China
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Li Z, Zhang Q, Li Z, Qiao Y, Du K, Tian C, Zhu N, Leng P, Yue Z, Cheng H, Chen G, Li F. Effects of straw mulching and nitrogen application rates on crop yields, fertilizer use efficiency, and greenhouse gas emissions of summer maize. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 847:157681. [PMID: 35908708 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 07/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Although straw mulching and nitrogen applications are extensively practiced in the agriculture sector, large uncertainties remain about their impacts on crop yields and especially the environment. The responses of summer maize yields, fertilizer use efficiency, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) in the North China Plain (NCP) to two straw management practices (S0: no straw and S1: straw mulching) and two nitrogen application rates (N1: 180 and N2: 210 kg N ha-1) were investigated in field tests in 2018, 2019, and 2020. The highest yields and partial factor productivity (PFP) were obtained by S1N1, followed by S1N2, S0N1, and S0N2. S1N2 had the highest CO2 emissions and greatest CH4 uptake, S0N1 had the lowest CO2 emissions, and S0N2 had the smallest CH4 uptake. The highest and lowest N2O emissions were found in S0N1 and S1N1, respectively. The S1N2 treatment, an extensively applied practice, had the greatest global warming potential (GWP), which was 70.3 % larger than S1N1 and two times more than S0N1 and S0N2. The largest GHG emission intensity (GHGI) of 19.4 was found in the S1N2 treatment, while the other three treatments, S0N1, S0N2, and S1N1, had a GHGI of 10.1, 10.7, and 10.7, respectively according to three tested results. In conclusion, S1N1 treatment achieved a better trade-off between crop yields and GHG emissions of summer maize in NCP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoxin Li
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Shandong Yucheng Agro-Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Science and Technology, Yucheng, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qiuying Zhang
- Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Zhao Li
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Shandong Yucheng Agro-Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Science and Technology, Yucheng, China
| | - Yunfeng Qiao
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Shandong Yucheng Agro-Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Science and Technology, Yucheng, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Kun Du
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Shandong Yucheng Agro-Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Science and Technology, Yucheng, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Tian
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Shandong Yucheng Agro-Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Science and Technology, Yucheng, China
| | - Nong Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Shandong Yucheng Agro-Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Science and Technology, Yucheng, China
| | - Peifang Leng
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Shandong Yucheng Agro-Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Science and Technology, Yucheng, China
| | - Zewei Yue
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Shandong Yucheng Agro-Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Science and Technology, Yucheng, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | - Gang Chen
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Florida A&M University-Florida State University, Tallahassee, USA
| | - Fadong Li
- Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Shandong Yucheng Agro-Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Science and Technology, Yucheng, China; College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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Are CH4, CO2, and N2O Emissions from Soil Affected by the Sources and Doses of N in Warm-Season Pasture? ATMOSPHERE 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos12060697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The intensification of pasture production has increased the use of N fertilizers—a practice that can alter soil greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the fluxes of CH4, CO2, and N2O in the soil of Urochloa brizantha ‘Marandu’ pastures fertilized with different sources and doses of N. Two field experiments were conducted to evaluate GHG fluxes following N fertilization with urea, ammonium nitrate, and ammonium sulfate at doses of 0, 90, 180, and 270 kg N ha−1. GHG fluxes were quantified using the static chamber technique and gas chromatography. In both experiments, the sources and doses of N did not significantly affect cumulative GHG emissions, while N fertilization significantly affected cumulative N2O and CO2 emissions compared to the control treatment. The N2O emission factor following fertilization with urea, ammonium nitrate, and ammonium sulfate was lower than the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change standard (0.35%, 0.24%, and 0.21%, respectively, with fractionation fertilization and 1.00%, 0.83%, and 1.03%, respectively, with single fertilization). These findings are important for integrating national inventories and improving GHG estimation in tropical regions.
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Machado PVF, Farrell RE, Deen W, Voroney RP, Congreves KA, Wagner-Riddle C. Contribution of crop residue, soil, and fertilizer nitrogen to nitrous oxide emissions varies with long-term crop rotation and tillage. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 767:145107. [PMID: 33550054 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Agriculture is an important contributor to N2O emissions - a potent greenhouse gas - with high peaks occurring when soil mineral nitrogen (N) is high (e.g., after mineralization of organic N and N fertilizer application). Nitrogen dynamics in soil and consequently N2O emissions are affected by crop and soil management practices (e.g., crop rotation and tillage), an effect mostly assessed in the literature through comparisons of total N2O emission. Hence, information is scarce on the effect of these management practices on specific N sources affecting N2O emissions (i.e., N fertilizer, soil, above and belowground crop residues) - a knowledge gap explored in this study with the use of 15N tracers. The isotope approach enabled refinement on global N2O budget by directly determining the emission factors (EF) of above and belowground crop residues that vary in chemical composition and comparison with default EF values (e.g., IPCC EFs). Our experiment was conducted over the full-cycle of long-term crop rotations to (i) compare N2O totals and intensity, under no-tillage and conventional tillage, simple and diverse rotation; (ii) partition total N2O emissions into soil, N fertilizer, above and belowground crop residue N sources; (iii) compare the 12-month EF of crop residue against the default values proposed by IPCC (2019). For the tillage effect, annual N2O emissions were from 1.2- to 2.0-times higher on CT than NT soil due to 40% increased soil N derived N2O emission in CT. The diversified crop rotation emitted 1.3-times higher N2O than the simple rotation over the full-cycle of the rotations, but the effect was due to differences in N fertilizer rate between the rotations since emissions were equivalent when scaled by N rate. Finally, our results suggested that default IPCC EF are overestimated for crop residues under CT and NT, simple and diverse rotations as measured EFs never surpassed 0.1%.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard E Farrell
- Department of Soil Science, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada
| | - William Deen
- Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G2W1, Canada
| | - R Paul Voroney
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G2W1, Canada
| | - Katelyn A Congreves
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada
| | - Claudia Wagner-Riddle
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON N1G2W1, Canada
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Ren H, Han K, Liu Y, Zhao Y, Zhang L, He Q, Li Z, Zhang J, Liu P, Wang H, Zhang J, Zhao B. Improving smallholder farmers' maize yields and economic benefits under sustainable crop intensification in the North China Plain. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 763:143035. [PMID: 33131864 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
To meet the food demands of a growing population, the maize production systems deployed by smallholders in China have tended towards extremely intensive planting and excessive use of fertilizers, which have caused serious environmental impacts. This study investigated the balance between the maize yield and nitrogen (N) input in the North China Plain (NCP), which is one of the most important grain-producing region in China. Our study compared yield simulations generated by the DSSAT-CERES-Maize model with actual data from a number of multi-site field experiments and an extensive household surveys encompassing 1671 farmers. The smallholders' maize cultivars, plant population, and amount of N input on the crop yield and how these affects the economic benefits were analyzed. The results showed that the average traditional farming methods' yield was 72% of the attainable yield, which means that farmers have ample room to improve their yields. We also found that the maize yields varied widely between farmers, and that most of them applied excessive amounts of N but failing to achieve an optimal yield due to poor fertilization management techniques. The study found that the economic benefits achieved by the farmers were low, but after deploying high-yield (HY) methods, the yield was increased by 34.9% and the economic benefits by 14.4%. The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the traditional farming methods were high and could potentially be reduced by 48.6%. All in all, farmers should be given guidance on how to appropriately increase the plant population, reduce the input of N fertilizer, and optimize farmland management measures, so that China can achieve intensive but sustainable agricultural production at a lower environmental cost. It was concluded that there are still numerous biological and abiotic factors that restrict production increases by smallholders. These factors vary from region to region and require further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology and College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an 271018, Shandong, China
| | - Kun Han
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology and College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an 271018, Shandong, China
| | - Yuee Liu
- Beijing Maize Seed Testing Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Yali Zhao
- College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, Henan, China
| | - Lihua Zhang
- Institute of Cereal and Oil Crops, Hebei Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050035, China
| | - Qijin He
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Zhenhai Li
- Beijing Research Center for Information Technology in Agriculture, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China
| | - Jibo Zhang
- Shandong Climate Center, Jinan 250031, Shandong, China
| | - Peng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology and College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an 271018, Shandong, China.
| | - Hongzhang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology and College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an 271018, Shandong, China
| | - Jiwang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology and College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an 271018, Shandong, China
| | - Bin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology and College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an 271018, Shandong, China
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Yang Y, Tong Y, Gao P, Htun YM, Feng T. Evaluation of N 2O emission from rainfed wheat field in northwest agricultural land in China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2020; 27:43466-43479. [PMID: 32415454 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-09133-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The net greenhouse gas (NGHG) emissions and net greenhouse gas intensity (NGHGI) were investigated via the determination of nitrous oxide (N2O) emission in loess soil under rainfed winter wheat monocropping system during 3 years of field study in Northwest China. Five treatments were carried out: control (N0), conventional nitrogen (N) application (NCon), optimized N application with straw (SNOpt), optimized N application with straw and 5% of dicyanodiamide (SNOpt + DCD), and optimized N rate of slow release fertilizer with straw (SSRFOpt). Over a 3-year period, the NGHG emissions were achieved 953, 1322, 564, and 1162 kg CO2-eq ha-1, simultaneously, and the NGHGI arrived 158, 223, 86, and 191 kg CO2-eq t-1 grain in NCon, SNOpt, SNOpt + DCD, and SSROpt grain, respectively. Contrasted with conventional farming system, optimized farming methods reduced 32% of N fertilizer use without significant decrease in grain yield, but brought about 38% increase in N2O emissions, up to 28% gained in soil CH4 uptake. Thus, it was observed that the straw incorporation performs noticeable increased in N2O emissions in the winter wheat cropping season. Among the optimized N fertilizer rates compared with the SNOpt treatment, the SNOpt +DCD and SSROpt treatments decreased in N2O emissions by approximately 55% and 13%, respectively. Additionally, the N2O emission factor across over a 3-year period was 0.41 ± 0.08% derived from N fertilizer, and it was half of IPCC default values for upland corps. It is expected possibly due to low precipitation and soil moisture with the monocropping system. The 25% higher in the amount of rainfall (almost 300 mm in 2013-2014) during a cropping season underwent into 1-2-fold increase in N2O emissions from N-fertilized plots. As the statistical differences among annual cumulative emissions coincided with that during winter wheat growing season, it can be concluded that crop growing season is a vital important period for the determination of N2O emissions from under rainfed monocropping system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Yang
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Yan'an Tong
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
| | - Pengcheng Gao
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
| | - Yin Min Htun
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
| | - Tao Feng
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China
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