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Effects of nitrogen application rates on net annual global warming potential and greenhouse gas intensity in double-rice cropping systems of the Southern China

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Abstract

The net global warming potential (NGWP) and net greenhouse gas intensity (NGHGI) of double-rice cropping systems are not well documented. We measured the NGWP and NGHGI including soil organic carbon (SOC) change and indirect emissions (IE) from double-crop rice fields with fertilizing systems in Southern China. These experiments with three different nitrogen (N) application rates since 2012 are as follows: 165 kgN ha−1 for early rice and 225 kgN ha−1 for late rice (N1), which was the local N application rates as the control; 135 kgN ha−1 for early rice and 180 kgN ha−1 for late rice (N2, 20 % reduction); and 105 kgN ha−1 for early rice and 135 kgN ha−1 for late rice (N3, 40 % reduction). Results showed that yields increased with the increase of N application rate, but without significant difference between N1 and N2 plots. Annual SOC sequestration rate under N1 was estimated to be 1.15 MgC ha−1 year−1, which was higher than those under other fertilizing systems. Higher N application tended to increase CH4 emissions during the flooded rice season and significantly increased N2O emissions from drained soils during the nonrice season, ranking as N1 > N2 > N3 with significant difference (P < 0.05). Two-year average IE has a huge contribution to GHG emissions mainly coming from the higher N inputs in the double-rice cropping system. Reducing N fertilizer usage can effectively decrease the NGWP and NGHGI in the double-rice cropping system, with the lowest NGHGI obtained in the N2 plot (0.99 kg CO2-eq kg−1 yield year−1). The results suggested that agricultural economic viability and GHG mitigation can be simultaneously achieved by properly reducing N fertilizer application in double-rice cropping systems.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest in China (201103001) and the National Key Program of R&D of China (2016YFD0300201). We would like to express our sincere thanks to Mr. Yao Zhang and Mr. Keith Paustian for their kind help.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture, China, Beijing, 100193, China

    Zhongdu Chen, Fu Chen, Hailin Zhang & Shengli Liu

  2. College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100193, China

    Fu Chen

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  1. Zhongdu Chen
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Correspondence to Fu Chen.

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Chen, Z., Chen, F., Zhang, H. et al. Effects of nitrogen application rates on net annual global warming potential and greenhouse gas intensity in double-rice cropping systems of the Southern China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 24781–24795 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7455-x

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