Please wait a minute...
Journal of Integrative Agriculture
Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search
The potential of green manure to increase soil carbon sequestration and reduce the yield-scaled carbon footprint of rice production in southern China
GAO Song-juan1, LI Shun1, ZHOU Guo-peng2, CAO Wei-dong2

1 College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, P.R.China


2 Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and Fertilizer, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs/Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100018, P.R.China

Download:  PDF in ScienceDirect  
Export:  BibTeX | EndNote (RIS)      
摘要  

中国南方稻田绿肥种植和利用已有数千年历史,维持了区域土壤肥力和水稻生产但目前绿肥对稻区土壤碳固持和碳足迹的定量化研究少有报道。本研究将长期定位试验与Meta分析结合,定量研究了绿肥提高中国南方稻田土壤碳固持和减少碳足迹的潜力。研究表明,与冬闲相比,冬种绿肥处理可在减少40%的氮肥维持水稻产量,同时土壤表层碳固持速率为1.62 Mg CO2-eq ha-1 yr-1。不同试验站的总碳足迹范围为7.51~13.66 Mg CO2-eq ha-1 yr-1 其中甲烷是最主要组分,占总量的60.7%-81.3%。绿肥-稻田模式降低了稻田生产系统31.4%的非直接碳足迹排放(主要为氮肥),提高了19.6%的直接碳足迹排放(主要为甲烷)。绿肥的甲烷排放因子(EFgc)在低和高甲烷排放情景下分别为5.58%21.31%。在低排放情景下,土壤碳库的增加可抵消增加的稻田甲烷排放;而在高排放情景下,土壤碳库的增加不足以抵消增加的稻田甲烷排放。当EFgc小于9.20%时,绿肥可同时增加土壤碳库和减少系统碳足迹EFgc值的大小主要受绿肥翻压量和稻田水分管理影响,说明优化翻压量和田间水分管理是提高中国南方稻田绿肥田土壤碳固持和减少碳足迹的关键。



Abstract  

Green manure (GM) has been used to support rice production in southern China for thousands of years. However, the effects of GM on soil carbon sequestration (CS) and the carbon footprint (CF) at a regional scale remain unclear. Therefore, we combined the datasets from long-term multisite experiments with a meta-analysis approach to quantify the potential of GM to increase the CS and reduce the CF of paddy soils in southern China. Compared with the fallow-rice practice, the GM-rice practice increased the soil C stock at a rate of 1.62 Mg CO2-eq ha-1 yr-1 and reduced chemical N application by 40% with no loss in the rice yield. The total CF varied from 7.51 to 13.66 Mg CO2-eq ha-1 yr-1 and was dominated by CH4 emissions (60.7%-81.3%). GM decreased the indirect CF by 31.4% but increased the direct CH4 emissions by 19.6%. In the low and high CH4 emission scenarios, the CH4 emission factors of GM (EFgc) were 5.58% and 21.31%, respectively. The greater soil CS offset the increase in GM-derived CF in the low CH4 scenario, but it could not offset the CF increase in the high CH4 scenario. A trade-off analysis also showed that GM can simultaneously increase the CS and reduce the total CF of the rice production system when the EFgc was less than 9.20%. The variation in EFgc was mainly regulated by the GM application rates and water management patterns. Determining the appropriate GM application rate and drainage pattern warrant further investigation to optimize the potential of the GM-rice system to increase the CS and reduce the total CF in China.

Keywords:  green manure       paddy soil              soil carbon sequestration              carbon footprint  
Online: 22 December 2022  
Fund: 

This study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFD1700200) and the earmarked fund for CARS - Green manure (CARS-22). 

About author:  GAO Song-juan, E-mail: gaosongjuan@njau.edu.cn; Correspondence CAO Wei-dong, Tel: +86-10-82109622, E-mail: caoweidong@caas.cn

Cite this article: 

GAO Song-juan, LI Shun, ZHOU Guo-peng, CAO Wei-dong. 2022. The potential of green manure to increase soil carbon sequestration and reduce the yield-scaled carbon footprint of rice production in southern China. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, Doi:10.1016/j.jia.2022.12.005

Cai S Y, Pittelkow C M, Zhao X, Wang S Q. 2018. Winter legume-rice rotations can reduce nitrogen pollution and carbon footprint while maintaining net ecosystem economic benefits. Journal of Cleaner Production, 195, 289-300.

Cai Z C, Tsuruta H, Rong X M, Xu H, Yuan Z P. 2001. CH4 emissions from rice paddies managed according to farmer’s practice in Hunan, China. Biogeochemistry, 56, 57-91.

Cao W D, Bao X G, Xu C X, Nie J, Gao Y J, Geng M J. 2017. Reviews and prospects on science and technology of green manure in China. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Fertilizers, 23, 1450-1461. (in Chinese)

Chen S, Lu F, Wang X K. 2015. Estimation of greenhouse gases emission factors of China's nitrogen, phosphate and potash fertilizers. Acta Ecological Sinica, 35, 6371-6383. (in Chinese)

Chen X H, Ma C C, Zhou H M, Liu Y, Huang X M, Wang M K, Cai Y Y, Su D, Muneer M A, Guo M C, Chen X J, Zhou Y, Hou Y, Cong W F, Guo J X, Ma W Q, Zhang W F, Cui Z L, Wu L Q, Zhou S G, et al. 2021. Identifying the main crops and key factors determining the carbon footprint of crop production in China, 2001-2018. Resources Conservation and Recycling, 172, 105661.

Cutler D R, Edwards T C, Beard K H, Cutler A, Hess K T, Gibson J, Lawler J. 2007. Random forests for classification in ecology. Ecology, 88, 2783-2792.

Ding G W, Liu X B, Herbert S, Novakd J, Amarasiriwardenae D, Xing B S. 2006. Effect of cover crop management on soil organic matter. Geoderma, 130, 229-239.

Gaihre Y K, Singh U, Bible W D, Fugice J, Sanabria J. 2020. Mitigating N2O and NO emissions from direct-seeded rice with nitrification inhibitor and urea deep placement. Rice Science, 27, 434-444.

Gao S J, Cao W D, Zhou G P, Rees R M. 2021. Bacterial communities in paddy soils changed by milk vetch as green manure: A study conducted across six provinces in South China. Pedosphere, 31, 521-530.

Gao S J, Zhou G P, Cao W D. 2020. Effects of milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus) as winter green manure on rice yield and rate of fertilizer application in rice paddies in south China. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Fertilizers, 26, 2115-2126. (in Chinese)

Gattinger A, Muller A, Haeni M, Skinner C, Fliessbach A, Buchmann N, Mader P, Stolze M, Smith P, Scialabba N E H, Niggli U. 2012. Enhanced topsoil carbon stocks under organic farming. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109, 18226-18231.

Haque M M, Kim S Y, Ali M A, Kim P J. 2015a. Contribution of greenhouse gas emissions during cropping and fallow seasons on total global warming potential in mono-rice paddy soils. Plant and Soil, 387, 251-264.

Haque M M, Kim S Y, Kim G W, Kim P J. 2015b. Optimization of removal and recycling ratio of cover crop biomass using carbon balance to sustain soil organic carbon stocks in a mono-rice paddy system. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 207, 119-125.

Haque M M, Kim S Y, Pramanik P, Kim G Y, Kim P J. 2013. Optimum application level of winter cover crop biomass as green manure under considering methane emission and rice productivity in paddy soil. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 49, 487-493.

Hou P F, Xue L X, Wang J, Petropoulos E, Deng X Z, Qiao J, Xue L H, Yang L Z. 2022. Continuous milk vetch amendment in rice-fallow rotation improves soil fertility and maintains rice yield without increasing CH4 emissions: Evidence from a long-term experiment. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 325, 107774.

Hwang H Y, Kim G W, Kim S Y, Haque M M, Khan M I, Kim P J. 2017. Effect of cover cropping on the net global warming potential of rice paddy soil. Geoderma, 292, 49-58.

Jian J S, Du X, Reiter M S, Stewart R D. 2020. A meta-analysis of global cropland soil carbon changes due to cover cropping. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 143, 107735.

Kamran M, Huang L, Nie J, Geng M J, Lu Y H, Liao Y L, Zhou F L, Xu Y H. 2021. Effect of reduced mineral fertilization (NPK) combined with green manure on aggregate stability and soil organic carbon fractions in a fluvo-aquic paddy soil. Soil & Tillage Research, 211, 105005.

Kim N, Zabaloy M C, Guan K Y, Villamilbbbb M B. 2020. Do cover crops benefit soil microbiome? A meta-analysis of current research. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 142, 107701.

Kim S Y, Gutierrez J, Kim P J. 2012. Considering winter cover crop selection as green manure to control methane emission during rice cultivation in paddy soil. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 161, 130-136.

Kim S Y, Lee C H, Gutierrez J, Kim P J. 2013. Contribution of winter cover crop amendments on global warming potential in rice paddy soil during cultivation. Plant and Soil, 366, 273-286.

Lee J H, Park M H, Song H J, Kim P J. 2020. Unexpected high reduction of methane emission via short-term aerobic pre-digestion of green manured soils before flooding in rice paddy. Science of the Total Environment, 711, 134641.

Li J, Wang S, Shi Y L, Zhang L L, Wu Z J. 2021. Do fallow season cover crops increase N2O or CH4 emission from paddy soils in the mono-rice cropping system? Agronomy-Basel, 11, 199.

Liang H, Li S, Zhang L, Xu C X, Lv Y H, Gao S J, Cao W D. 2022. Long-term green manuring enhances crop N uptake and reduces N losses in rice production system. Soil & Tillage Research, 220, 105369.

Linquist B, van Groenigen K J, Adviento-Borbe M A, Pittelkow C, van Kessel C. 2012. An agronomic assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from major cereal crops. Global Change Biology, 18, 194-209.

Liu Q, Liu B J, Ambus P, Zhang Y H, Hansen V, Lin Z B, Shen D C, Liu G, Bei Q C, Zhu J G, Wang X J, Ma J, Lin X W, Yu Y C, Zhu C W, Xie Z B. 2016. Carbon footprint of rice production under biochar amendment - a case study in a Chinese rice cropping system. Global Change Biology Bioenergy, 8, 148-159.

Liu R, Thomas B W, Shi X J, Zhang X L, Wang Z C, Zhang Y T. 2021. Effects of ground cover management on improving water and soil conservation in tree crop systems: A meta-analysis. Catena, 199, 10 5085.

Lu R K. 2000. Analytical Method for Soil and Agro-Chemical. Agricultural Science and Technology Press, Beijing, China. (in Chinese)

Ma D K, Yin L, Ju W L, Li X K, Liu X X, Deng X P, Wang S W. 2021. Meta-analysis of green manure effects on soil properties and crop yield in northern China. Field Crops Research, 266, 108146.

Nascente A S, Li Y C, Crusciol C A C. 2013. Cover crops and no-till effects on physical fractions of soil organic matter. Soil & Tillage Research, 130, 52-57.

Nie J W, Wang Y J, Wu B K, Liu Z Y, Zhu B. 2018. Effects of Chinese milk vetch incorporation gas emissions from early-rice direct-seeding paddy fields. Journal of Agro-Environment Science, 37, 2334-2341. (in Chinese)

Osipitan O A, Dille J A, Assefa Y, Radicetti E, Ayeni Knezevic S Z. 2019. Impact of cover crop management on level of weed suppression: A meta-analysis. Crop Science, 59, 833-842.

Poeplau C, Don A. 2015. Carbon sequestration in agricultural soils via cultivation of cover crops-A meta-analysis. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 200, 33-41.

Raheem A, Zhang J, Huang J, Jian Y, Siddik M A, Denga A X, Gao J S, Zhang W J. 2019. Greenhouse gas emissions from a rice-rice-green manure cropping system in South China. Geoderma, 353, 331-339.

Shackelford G E, Kelsey R, Dicks L V. 2019. Effects of cover crops on multiple ecosystem services: Ten meta-analyses of data from arable farmland in California and the Mediterranean. Land Use Policy, 88, 104204.

Smith P. 2012. Soils and climate change. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 4, 539-544.

Sugino T, Nobuntou W, Srisombut N, Rujikun P, Luanmanee S, Punlai N. 2013. Effects of long-term organic material applications and green manure crop cultivation on soil organic carbon in rain fed area of Thailand. International Soil and Water Conservation Research, 1, 29-36.

Tang H M, Tang W G, Shuai X Q, Yang G L, Tang H T, Xiao X P. 2010. Effects of winter cover crop on methane and nitrous oxide emission from paddy field. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 21, 3191-3199. (in Chinese)

Tang H M, Xiao X P, Tang W G, Wang K, Sun J M, Li W Y, Yang G L. 2014. Effects of winter cover crops straws incorporation on CH4 and N2O emission from double-cropping paddy fields in Southern China. PLoS ONE, 9, e108322.

Tariqa A, Jensena L S, Sanderc B O, Tourdonnet S, Ambus P L, Thanh P H, Trinh M V, Neergaard A. 2018. Paddy soil drainage influences residue carbon contribution to methane emissions. Journal of Environmental Management, 225, 168-176.

Tariqa A, Vu Q D, Jensena L S, Tourdonnet S, Sander B O, Wassmann R, Mai T V, Neergaard A. 2017. Mitigating CH4 and N2O emissions from intensive rice production systems in northern Vietnam: Efficiency of drainage patterns in combination with rice residue incorporation. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 249, 101-111.

Wood S A, Bowman M. 2021. Large-scale farmer-led experiment demonstrates positive impact of cover crops on multiple soil health indicators. Nature Food, 2, 97-103.

Yang Z P, Zheng S X, Nie J, Liao Y L, Xie J. 2014. Effects of long-term winter planted green manure on distribution and storage of organic carbon and nitrogen in water-stable aggregates of reddish paddy soil under a double-rice cropping system. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 13, 1772-1781.

Zhang Z H, Nie J, Liang H, Wei C L, Wang Y, Liao Y L, Lu Y H, Zhou G P, Gao S J, Cao W D. 2022. The effects of co-utilizing green manure and rice straw on soil aggregates and soil carbon stability in a paddy soil in South China. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, doi.org/10.1016/j.jia.2022.09.025.

Zhou L H, Wei J B, Cheng X L, Tang Q Y, Xiao Z X, Xu H Q, Tang J W, Fu Z Q. 2018. Effects of winter green manure crops with and without chicken grazing on CH4 and CO2 emissions in a double-crop rice paddy field in South China. Journal of Ecology and Rural Environment, 34, 433-440. (in Chinese)

Zhu B, Yi L X, Hu Y G, Zeng Z H, Tang H M, Yang G L, Xiao X P. 2012. Effects of Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus L.) residue incorporation on CH4 and N2O emission from a double-rice paddy soil. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 11, 1537-1544. 

No related articles found!
No Suggested Reading articles found!