Straw management adopted by large farms sustains grain yield but mitigates greenhouse gas emissions

Abstract

ContextStraw incorporation is a globally recommended strategy for enhancing soil fertility. The methods for straw incorporation adopted by large farms usually differ from those used by small households, primarily because of variations in cost affordability. However, the effects of straw management on rice yields and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have not been well explored at different farming scales. ObjectivesThis study aims to compare the grain yield and greenhouse gas emissions under different straw management adopted by large farms than small households. MethodsA three-year field experiment using split-plot design, with straw management as the main plot and preceding tillage as the sub-plot, was conducted in a wheat-rice rotation system. Four treatments were given as rotary tillage with straw removal (RT-S), rotary tillage with straw incorporation (RT+S; small households), ploughing tillage with straw removal (PT-S), and ploughing tillage with straw incorporation (PT+S, large farms) in the preceding wheat season. Soil tillage in the rice season was the same, which was rotary tillage after irrigation. ResultsStraw incorporation significantly increased methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, and 60%-62% of CH4 was emitted during the transplanting to jointing stages while 45–73% of N2O was emitted during the jointing to the booting stage. The stimulation of CH4 and N2O emissions by straw incorporation was closely correlated to enhanced soil organic carbon (SOC) and denitrification enzyme activity, respectively. In the last year, PT+S significantly reduced the global warming potential (GWP) compared to RT+S in the whole rice season, which can be attributed to the dramatically decline of CH4 emission, even though N2O emission was increased. Additionally, the decreased CH4 emission was mainly due to lower methanogenic activity, and the increased N2O emission was mainly resulted from lower nosZ abundance under PT+S compared to RT+S. Straw incorporation increased rice yield by 15.73% on average in the last two years, and rice yield of PT+S in the last year was significantly enhanced by 27.50%, resulting in a lower greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) by 25.54% compared to RT+S. ConclusionStraw management practices adopted by large farms (PT+S) have the potential to synchronize high rice yields with lower GHG emissions compared to small households (RT+S). ImplicationsOur findings provide some evidence that large-scale agricultural organization may be helpful for sustainable rice production in China.