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

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: 165kgNha-1 for early rice and 225kgNha-1 for late rice (N1), which was the local N application rates as the control; 135kgNha-1 for early rice and 180kgNha-1 for late rice (N2, 20% reduction); and 105kgNha-1 for early rice and 135kgNha-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 1.15MgCha-1year-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 (0.99kg CO2-eqkg-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.