Multi-objective water management strengthens synergistic control of nitrogen and phosphorus losses and CH4 emissions in paddies in the Yangtze River Basin.

The quantitative relationship between accumulated rainfall and accumulated total nitrogen and total phosphorus loss was analyzed by setting up economic forest experimental sites in typical regions of Zhejiang Province, and the response efficiency of accumulated total phosphorus and total nitrogen loss in different economic forests to rainfall was compared The results showed that there was a significant linear relationship between accumulated rainfall and accumulated total nitrogen and total phosphorus loss. The total nitrogen and total phosphorus loss rate of Castanea mollissima Blum economic forest was higher than that of Phyllostachys edulis forest and nursery > Morella rubra > Camellia sinensis > Phyllostachys edulis. Man-made disturbance of economic forest will accelerate the loss of total nitrogen and total phosphorus, and its loss rate is 1.5~4 times that of natural economic forest. The total nitrogen loss rate of 28% and total phosphorus loss rate of 47% can be reduced by planting shrubs or herbs under the in the Phyllostachys edulis forest. The purification efficiency of total phosphorus and total nitrogen of different economic forests is affected by economic forest types, ecological restoration, rainfall, and the purification efficiency varies between 30% and 70%.

Implementing a suite of best management practices (BMPs) can reduce non-point source (NPS) pollutants from various land use activities. Watershed models are generally used to evaluate the effectiveness of BMP performance in improving water quality as the basis for watershed management recommendations. This study evaluates 171 management practice combinations that incorporate nutrient management, vegetated filter strips (VFS) and grazing management for their performances in improving water quality in a pasture-dominated watershed with dynamic land use changes during 1992–2007 by using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). These selected BMPs were further examined with future climate conditions (2010–2069) downscaled from three general circulation models (GCMs) for understanding how climate change may impact BMP performance. Simulation results indicate that total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) losses increase with increasing litter application rates. Alum-treated litter applications resulted in greater TN losses, and fewer TP losses than the losses from untreated poultry litter applications. For the same litter application rates, sediment and TP losses are greater for summer applications than fall and spring applications, while TN losses are greater for fall applications. Overgrazing management resulted in the greatest sediment and phosphorus losses, and VFS is the most influential management practice in reducing pollutant losses. Simulations also indicate that climate change impacts TSS losses the most, resulting in a larger magnitude of TSS losses. However, the performance of selected BMPs in reducing TN and TP losses was more stable in future climate change conditions than in the BMP performance in the historical climate condition. We recommend that selection of BMPs to reduce TSS losses should be a priority concern when multiple uses of BMPs that benefit nutrient reductions are considered in a watershed. Therefore, the BMP combination of spring litter application, optimum grazing management and filter strip with a VFS ratio of 42 could be a promising alternative for use in mitigating future climate change.

Effects of polyacrylamide on soil erosion and nutrient losses from substrate material in steep rocky slope stabilization projects

In nature, wind often occurs simultaneously with rainfall, causing nutrient loss in soil and water on slopes. However, the influence of different rainfall intensities combined with different wind directions on soil erosion and nutrient loss remains unclear. This study utilized wind‐driven rainfall laboratory flume experiments to analyse the influence of different wind directions (windward, leeward and crosswind) and rainfall intensities (30, 60 and 90 mm h−1) with constant wind speed (5 m s−1) on slope runoff, sediment yield and the associated losses of different forms of N ( , ) and P ( ‐P). The response of soil erosion, N and P loss to rainfall changes with different wind directions. When the rainfall intensity was constant, runoff, sediment yield and sediment‐associated total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) losses on slopes showed a trend of leeward > crosswind > windless > windward, whereas runoff‐associated TN and TP losses showed a trend of windward > crosswind > windless > leeward. Runoff, sediment yield and sediment‐associated TN and TP losses on leeward slopes were 1.09–1.17, 1.25–1.44, 1.33–1.62, and 1.40–1.66 times than windless slopes. Moreover, with constant wind direction, the runoff, sediment yield and associated N and P losses increased significantly with increasing rainfall intensity. When the rainfall intensity increased from 30 to 60 and 90 mm h−1, the runoff, sediment yield and associated TN and TP losses increased 2.02–2.28, 3.65–5.35, 3.96–34.39 and 4.28–8.45 times, respectively. The effects of rainfall on soil erosion and nutrient loss were significantly greater than those of wind. The loss of different forms of N and P associated with runoff and sediment was consistent with that of TN and TP losses. However, with an increase in rainfall intensity, the growth rates of runoff, sediment yield and associated N and P losses exhibited a gradually weakening trend for all wind directions. An increase in rainfall intensity enhanced the vertical vector force of wind‐driven rainfall, which increasingly decreased the angle between the rain incidence and the normal line of the horizon; therefore, the direction of the rain erosion force gradually approached that of windless conditions.

Water pollution by nitrogen residues from agricultural intensification has become a recurring problem, particularly in wetlands used for rice production. As a solution to remediate this issue, sustainable water and nutrient management are being explored. These practices involve matching water and nutrient availability with plant needs in space and time while ensuring production objectives are met. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis to synthesize the current knowledge on the effect of water and nutrient management practices on nitrogen losses and uptake by plants in rice cropping systems. Using a random effects model, we summarized the effect sizes of 103 observations from 27 peer-reviewed studies. Tree water management practices were evaluated: “Continuous Flooding” (used as control), “Alternate Wet and Dry (AWD)” and “Controlled Irrigation (CI)”. The response ratio (RR) of nitrate leaching and total nitrogen loss was negative for CI (-0.53 and -0.34, respectively) and AWD (-0.13 and -0.36, respectively). Regardless of water management practices (AWD or CI), desaturating the soil before re-irrigation reduced nitrate and total nitrogen losses. When considering the source of nitrogen input, water management practices involving desaturation of the soil before re-irrigating were effective in reducing nitrogen losses in urea-only applications. However, in the case of controlled release urea (CRF) applications, water management treatments (AWD or CI) were not necessary to reduce nitrogen losses, especially those due to ammonia volatilization. This result also indicates the effectiveness of CRF treatment in retaining the essential nitrogen component required for plant growth and development. Nevertheless, when nitrogen rates exceed 200 kg N/ha, adopting water management practices such as CI and AWD becomes necessary to decrease nitrate leaching and total nitrogen loss in rice fields. Regarding the rice grain yield, water management practices that involve reducing the amount of water (AWD and CI) have shown no significant effect on yield (RR 0.017 and -0.0001). In conclusion, AWD and CI water management practices have been shown to reduce nitrogen losses without compromising rice grain yield. Additionally, the application of CRF reduces nitrogen losses that may occur in a continuous flooding system. Key-words: Water management; Nitrogen; Rice; Controlled release urea; Water pollution

Effects of water management on greenhouse gas emissions from farmers' rice fields in Bangladesh

Seasonal freeze-thaw erosion is a form of soil erosion caused by the topographical characteristics and climatic factors of the hilly and gully loess regions. Seasonal freeze-thaw can damage the soil pores and cause its bulk density to change. The effects of thawing depth on runoff and Nitrogen and Phosphorus loss on the rainfall erosion of an artificial slope filled with loess soil were analyzed after a rainfall test that simulated the spring thaw period in China. The results showed that: (1) The maximum runoff yield was 33.35 mm at 4 cm thawing depth, and the minimum was 12.95 mm at 6 cm thawing depth. With the increase in runoff time, the slope infiltration rate had a decreasing trend. The loss rate of available and total Phosphorus increased with the increase in runoff rate. The rate of increase was fastest when the thawing depth was 4 cm. (2) The relationships between runoff rate and Nitrogen loss and Phosphorus loss rate can be explained by linear regression equations, and the loss rate increased as the runoff rate rose for all thawing depths. Within the 0–6 cm thawing depths, the loss of total phosphorus was the largest when the thawing depth was 4 cm, and the loss of available phosphorus was the smallest when the thawing depth was 6 cm. At the shallower thawing depths, the available Nitrogen loss represented a smaller proportion of the total Nitrogen loss compared to nitrate Nitrogen loss. However, there was a gradual rise in the available Nitrogen proportion in the total amount of inorganic Nitrogen as the thawing depth increased. (3) Total Phosphorus was the available Phosphorus with a quadratic function relationship with runoff energy and runoff power. Runoff energy mainly affected the total Nitrogen and available Nitrogen loss in runoff, whereas runoff power mainly affected total Nitrogen loss in runoff. The results of this paper can improve the understanding of runoff and Nitrogen and Phosphorus loss caused by runoff during freeze-thaw conditions.

Rice is one of the main crops in China. Therefore, it is important to understand the current status and influencing factors of nitrogen and phosphorus losses from paddy fields in China, which would facilitate assessing the potential of chemical fertilizer reduction in different rice cultivating regions. We summarized the current knowledge on nitrogen and phosphorus losses from surface runoff in major rice cultivating areas in China, as well as their influencing factors, such as rainfall, planting pattern, cultivation techniques, fertilization management, water management strategies, etc. The total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) losses from runoff in six major rice cropping areas ranged from 5.09 to 21.32 and 0.70 to 3.22 kg·hm-2, respectively. The highest losses of TN and TP were the South China double rice cropping area. The TN runoff losses were the lowest in the North China single rice cropping area, while the lowest TP runoff losses occurred in plateau single and double rice cropping area of the Southwest China. The peaks of TN and TP in surface water of paddy fields were generally higher than those of the runoff water based on farmers' conventional fertilization in different rice cropping areas. The peak period of nitrogen and phosphorus losses was in a week after rice fertilization. There could be a potential of 20% reduction of nitrogen and phospho-rus for farmers' conventional fertilization compared with the optimized fertilization. Among all the factors, rainfall and fertilization management were the main ones affecting the runoff losses of nitrogen and phosphorus in paddy fields. Fertilization management and water management strategies were the mostly controllable, including reduction of fertilizers, application of new fertilizers, replacement of chemical fertilizers by organic fertilizers, water-saving irrigation, etc. Overall, the risk of nitrogen and phosphorus losses in paddy fields was more prominent in the Southern China than in any other areas of China. Rice cultivation should be carried out in a more resource-efficient way to reduce nutrient loss. Future research should focus on non-point source pollution monitoring of paddy fields, nitrogen and phosphorus losses risk assessment, nitrogen and phosphorus losses characteristics and mechanisms, and new technologies for reducing chemical fertilization inputs and environmental risks.

Losses of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) have important influences on in-lake concentrations and nutrient loading to downstream ecosystems. We performed a series of mesocosm experiments along a latitudinal gradient from Sweden to Greece to investigate the factors influencing N and P loss under different climatic conditions. In six countries, a standardised mesocosm experiment with two water depths and two nutrient levels was conducted concurrently between May and November 2011. Our results showed external nutrient loading to be of key importance for N and P loss in all countries. Almost all dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) were lost or taken up in biomass in all mesocosms. We found no consistent effect of temperature on DIN and SRP loss but a significant, though weak, negative effect of temperature on total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) loss in the deeper mesocosms, probably related to higher organic N and P accumulation in the water in the warmer countries. In shallow mesocosms, a positive trend in TN and TP loss with increasing temperature was observed, most likely related to macrophyte growth.

Plastic film mulching is widely employed to improve crop yields. Mulching for the entire crop growth period is a widespread practice. However, a shorter plastic film mulching duration is suggested for obtaining larger grain yield recently. To quantify the effects of plastic film mulching durations on soil erosion and nutrient losses, a three-treatment experiment with three replicates was constructed in field. The designed treatments were control (M0, non-mulched treatment), mulching from sowing to the end of the peanut pod-setting stage (M1) and pod-filling stage (M2). Plastic film mulching significantly increased the mean runoff and sediment yield. With film mulching, the mean runoff and soil losses among M1 and M2 treatments had no significant difference, and significantly larger than that in M0 treatment. After mulching removing, there were no significant differences between the mean runoff and soil losses of M0 and M1 treatments. Compared with the M2 treatment, the M0 treatment had significantly reduced mean runoff and soil losses of all the events. Non-mulching increased the total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) losses. The M0 treatment had the highest TN (23.0 mg m−2) and TP (3.02 mg m−2) losses in the three treatments. The M2 treatment significantly reduced the TN and TP losses. In conclusion, mulching from sowing to the end of pod-setting stage was suggested as the appropriate choice for the largest yield and less soil erosion. But, some soil conservation measurements should be taken in furrow areas to effectively reduce soil erosion, under the condition of film mulching.

Empirical relationships between catchment properties and nutrient losses are often derived from spatially restricted data, which hampers the ability to more widely generalize the results. In this study, we regressed the catchment characteristics and the losses of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) for all monitored catchments in Finland with adequate data (n = 59, from the year 2000 to 2011). TN loss was found to increase with the percentage of arable land and amount of point source loading and to decrease with increasing lake percentage. TP loss also increased not only with the percentage of arable land but also with fine‐grained soils (Cambisols) in the catchment and decreased with the percentage of lakes. Urban areas, scattered settlements, and N deposition were not significant explanatory variables, possibly due to their spatial covariation with arable land in Finland. Despite the fact that only a few significant explanatory variables were identified, the models explained the TN and TP losses by up to 91% and 92%, respectively.

The study is focused on impact of manure application, rice varieties and water management on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from paddy rice soil in pot experiment. The objectives of this study were a) to assess the effect of different types of manure amendments and rice varieties on greenhouse gas emissions and b) to determine the optimum manure application rate to increase rice yield while mitigating GHG emissions under alternate wetting and drying irrigation in paddy rice production. The first pot experiment was conducted at the Department of Agronomy, Yezin Agricultural University, Myanmar, in the wet season from June to October 2016. Two different organic manures (compost and cow dung) and control (no manure), and two rice varieties; Manawthukha (135 days) and IR-50 (115 days), were tested. The results showed that cumulative CH4 emission from Manawthukha (1.084 g CH4 kg-1 soil) was significantly higher than that from IR-50 (0.683 g CH4 kg-1 soil) (P<0.0046) with yield increase (P<0.0164) because of the longer growth duration of the former. In contrast, higher cumulative nitrous oxide emissions were found for IR-50 (2.644 mg N2O kg-1 soil) than for Manawthukha (2.585 mg N2O kg-1 soil). However, IR-50 showed less global warming potential (GWP) than Manawthukha (P<0.0050). Although not significant, the numerically lowest CH4 and N2O emissions were observed in the cow dung manure treatment (0.808 g CH4 kg-1 soil, 2.135 mg N2O kg-1 soil) compared to those of the control and compost. To determine the effect of water management and organic manures on greenhouse gas emissions, second pot experiments were conducted in Madaya township during the dry and wet seasons from February to October 2017. Two water management practices {continuous flooding (CF) and alternate wetting and drying (AWD)} and four cow dung manure rates {(1) 0 (2) 2.5 t ha-1 (3) 5 t ha-1 (4) 7.5 t ha-1} were tested. The different cow dung manure rates did not significantly affect grain yield or greenhouse gas emissions in this experiment. Across the manure treatments, AWD irrigation significantly reduced CH4 emissions by 70% during the dry season and 66% during the wet season. Although a relative increase in N2O emissions under AWD was observed in both rice seasons, the global warming potential was significantly reduced in AWD compared to CF in both seasons (P<0.0002, P<0.0000) according to reduced emission in CH4. Therefore, AWD is the effective mitigation practice for reducing GWP without compromising rice yield while manure amendment had no significant effect on GHG emission from paddy rice field. Besides, AWD saved water about 10% in dry season and 19% in wet season.

The study is focused on impact of manure application, rice varieties and water management on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from paddy rice soil in pot experiment. The objectives of this study were a) to assess the effect of different types of manure amendments and rice varieties on greenhouse gas emissions and b) to determine the optimum manure application rate to increase rice yield while mitigating GHG emissions under alternate wetting and drying irrigation in paddy rice production. The first pot experiment was conducted at the Department of Agronomy, Yezin Agricultural University, Myanmar, in the wet season from June to October 2016. Two different organic manures (compost and cow dung) and control (no manure), and two rice varieties; Manawthukha (135 days) and IR-50 (115 days), were tested. The results showed that cumulative CH4 emission from Manawthukha (1.084 g CH4 kg-1 soil) was significantly higher than that from IR-50 (0.683 g CH4 kg-1 soil) (P<0.0046) with yield increase (P<0.0164) because of the longer growth duration of the former. In contrast, higher cumulative nitrous oxide emissions were found for IR-50 (2.644 mg N2O kg-1 soil) than for Manawthukha (2.585 mg N2O kg-1 soil). However, IR-50 showed less global warming potential (GWP) than Manawthukha (P<0.0050). Although not significant, the numerically lowest CH4 and N2O emissions were observed in the cow dung manure treatment (0.808 g CH4 kg-1 soil, 2.135 mg N2O kg-1 soil) compared to those of the control and compost. To determine the effect of water management and organic manures on greenhouse gas emissions, second pot experiments were conducted in Madaya township during the dry and wet seasons from February to October 2017. Two water management practices {continuous flooding (CF) and alternate wetting and drying (AWD)} and four cow dung manure rates {(1) 0 (2) 2.5 t ha-1 (3) 5 t ha-1 (4) 7.5 t ha-1} were tested. The different cow dung manure rates did not significantly affect grain yield or greenhouse gas emissions in this experiment. Across the manure treatments, AWD irrigation significantly reduced CH4 emissions by 70% during the dry season and 66% during the wet season. Although a relative increase in N2O emissions under AWD was observed in both rice seasons, the global warming potential was significantly reduced in AWD compared to CF in both seasons (P<0.0002, P<0.0000) according to reduced emission in CH4. Therefore, AWD is the effective mitigation practice for reducing GWP without compromising rice yield while manure amendment had no significant effect on GHG emission from paddy rice field. Besides, AWD saved water about 10% in dry season and 19% in wet season.

Due to intensive farm practices, nonpoint-source (NPS) pollution has become one of the most challenging environmental problems in agricultural and mixed land use watersheds. Usually, various conservation practices are implemented in the watershed to control the NPS pollution problem. However, land use changes can mask the water quality improvements from the conservation practices implemented in the watershed. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the linkage between nutrient input from various pasture management practices and water quality, and to quantify the impacts of land use changes and pasture management on water quality in a pasture-dominated watershed. Land use data from 1992, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2001, and 2004 were evaluated for the land use changes in the watershed, and the corresponding implemented management practices were also incorporated into the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. The individual impacts of land use change and pasture management were quantified by comparing the SWAT simulation results for different land use change and pasture management scenarios. The results indicated that land use changes resulted in greater total sediment (499 kg ha-1) and nitrogen losses (3.8 kg ha-1) in the Moores Creek subwatershed, whereas pasture management resulted in greater total nitrogen losses (4.3 kg ha-1) in the Beatty Branch subwatershed. Overall, the combined impacts of land use changes and pasture management resulted in greater total sediment (28 to 764 kg ha-1 of cumulative combined impacts between 1992 and 2007) and nitrogen losses (5.1 to 6.1 kg ha-1) and less total phosphorus losses (1.5 to 2.1 kg ha-1) in the Beatty Branch, Upper Moores Creek, and Moores Creek subwatersheds. By quantifying the individual impacts of land use changes and pasture management, we found that an increase in total nitrogen losses in the Beatty Branch subwatershed was mainly due to an increase in nutrient inputs in the pasture areas, and total sediment and nitrogen losses in the Moores Creek subwatershed were mainly due to an increase in urban lands. Therefore, the individual impacts of land use changes and conservation practices should be quantified to get a true picture of the success of CEAP programs in watersheds experiencing significant land use changes.

Effect of alternate wetting and drying water management on rice cultivation with low emissions and low water used during wet and dry season