Long-term saline water irrigation has the potential to balance greenhouse gas emissions and cotton yield in North China plain

Abstract

Saline water has proven to be one of the alternative sources of freshwater for agricultural irrigation in water-scarce areas. However, the changes in farmland ecology caused by saline water irrigation remain unclear. In this study, six irrigation water salinities (CK: 1.3 dS m−1, S1: 3.4 dS m−1, S2: 7.1 dS m−1, S3: 10.6 dS m−1, S4: 14.1 dS m−1, S5: 17.7 dS m−1) were set in a three-year (2019, 2021–2022) experiment to investigate their effects on soil environment and greenhouse gas emissions in cotton fields under long-term saline water irrigation. Results show that soil salinity in the same layer increased as increasing water salinity. Soil moisture of S3–S5 increased significantly by 4.99–12.94%. There was no significant difference in soil organic matter content between CK and S1. Saline water irrigation increased soil ammonium nitrogen content by 0.57–49.26%, while decreasing nitrate nitrogen content by 1.43–32.03%. Soil CO2 and N2O emissions and CH4 uptake were lower in S1–S5 than in CK at different cotton growth stages. In addition, saline water irrigation reduced the global warming potential by 6.93–53.86%. A structural equation model was developed to show that soil salinity, moisture, and ammonium nitrogen content were negatively correlated with global warming potential, while organic matter and nitrate nitrogen had positive effects on global warming potential. Considering the comprehensive perspectives of gas emissions and cotton yield, irrigation water with salinity less than 10.6 dS m−1 could effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cotton fields while maintaining stable cotton yields in the experimental area and similar region.