Cougui Cao

Effects of water-saving irrigation practices and drought resistant rice variety on greenhouse gas emissions from a no-till paddy in the central lowlands of China

As pressure on water resources increases, alternative practices to conserve water in paddies have been developed. Few studies have simultaneously examined the effectiveness of different water regimes on conserving water, mitigating greenhouse gases (GHG), and maintaining yields in rice production. This study, which was conducted during the drought of 2013, examined all three factors using a split-plot experiment with two rice varieties in a no-till paddy managed under three different water regimes: 1) continuous flooding (CF), 2) flooded and wet intermittent irrigation (FWI), and 3) flooded and dry intermittent irrigation (FDI). The Methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions were measured using static chamber-gas measurements, and the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions were monitored using a soil CO₂ flux system (LI-8100). Compared with CF, FWI and FDI irrigation strategies reduced CH₄ emissions by 60% and 83%, respectively. In contrast, CO₂ and N₂O fluxes increased by 65% and 9%, respectively, under FWI watering regime and by 104% and 11%, respectively, under FDI managed plots. Although CO₂ and N₂O emissions increased, the global warming potential (GWP) and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) of all three GHG decreased by up to 25% and 29% (p<0.01), respectively, using water-saving irrigation strategies. The rice variety also affected yields and GHG emissions in response to different water regimes. The drought-resistance rice variety (HY3) was observed to maintain yields, conserve water, and reduce GHG under the FWI irrigation management compared with the typical variety (FYY299) planted in the region. The FYY299 only had significantly lower GWP and GHGI when the yield was reduced under FDI water regime. In conclusion, FWI irrigation strategy could be an effective option for simultaneously saving water and mitigating GWP without reducing rice yields using drought-resistant rice varieties, such as HY3.

Effects of N Management on Yield and N Uptake of Rice in Central China

Abstract Efficient N fertilizer management is critical for the economic production of rice and the long-term protection of environmental quality. A field experiment was designed to study the effects of N fertilizer management practices on grain yield and N uptake of rice. The experiment was laid out in the randomized complete block design with four replications in Central China during 2008 and 2009. Five N treatments denoted as N0, N150A, N150B, N240A, and N240B, respectively, were studied. N0 represented no N application and served as a control, N150A and N150B indicated the total N application of 150 kg N ha−1 but with two different application schedules (A and B) across the early stage of rice growth. Schedule A was applied as follows: 40% basal, 30% at 10 d after transplanting (DAT) and 30% at 36 DAT (nearly at the panicle initiation stage), while schedule B was as follows: 30% at basal, 20% at 10 DAT, and 50% at 36 DAT. Similarly, N240A and N240B indicated the total N application of 240 kg N ha−1 with schedules A and B as described above. To quantify N uptake from fertilizer and soil, a 15N experiment was also conducted within the main experimental field, with micro-plots. Grain yields were significantly increased as N rates increased from 0 to 240 kg N ha−1. At the same rate, splitting N application as schedule B significantly increased the grain yield, spikelets per panicle, percentage of ripened grain, and 1 000-grain weight, compared with the N application according to schedule A. Mean rice recovery of N fertilizer by 15N tracing method ranged from 25.39% at N240A to 34.89% at N150B, however, N fertilizer residual rate in the soil ranged from 12.40% at N240A to 16.61% at N150B. About 31.5 and 28.5% of total uptake of 15N derived from basal fertilizer was absorbed at panicle initiation and heading stages, respectively. However, 65.6-92.5% of total uptake of 15N derived from topdressing fertilizer was absorbed at the heading stage. Based on yield and nitrogen recovery efficiency, splitting N application according to schedule B at the rate of 240 kg N ha−1 will be more profitable among the tested five N treatments in Central China.

Methane and Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Rice-Duck and Rice-Fish Complex Ecosystems and the Evaluation of Their Economic Significance

Rice-duck (RD) and rice-fish (RF) ecological systems are major complex planting and breeding models of rice paddy fields in southern China. Studying the methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and their economic value from these two ecosystems can provide theoretical and practical basis for further development and utilization of these classical agricultural techniques. CH4 and N2O emissions from RD and RF ecological systems were measured in situ by using static chambers technique. Using global warming potentials (GWPs), we assessed the greenhouse effect of CH4 and N2O and their economic value. Results showed that the peaks of CH4 emission fluxes from RD and RF appeared at full tillering stage and at heading stage, and the average emission fluxes were significantly (P < 0.05) lower than that from CK. N2O fluxes remained low when the field is flooded and high after draining the water. Compared with CK, the total amount of N2O emissions was significantly (P < 0.05) higher and slightly lower than those from RD and RF, respectively. In 2006 and 2007, the total greenhouse effect of CH4 and N2O from RD and RF were 4 728.3 and 4 611 kg CO2 ha−1, 4 545 and 4 754.3 kg CO2 ha−1, respectively. The costs of greenhouse effect were 970.89 and 946.81 RMB yuan ha−1, and 933.25 and 976.23 RMB yuan ha−1, respectively, which were significant lower than those from CK (5 997.6 and 5 391.5 RMB yuan ha−1). Except for the environment cost of CH4 and N2O, the economic benefits from RD and RF were 2 210.64 and 4 881.92 RMB yuan ha−1; 3 798.37 and 5 310.64 RMB yuan ha−1, respectively, higher than those from CK. Therefore, RD and RF complex ecological planting and breeding models can effectively decrease and control CH4 and N2O emissions, and they are two of the effective strategies to reduce greenhouse gases from rice paddy fields and contribute in alleviating global warming. Thus, their adoption is important to the environment together with their economy benefits.

Effects of different no-tillage modes on soil CO2 fluxes from paddy fields in central China

Differences in soil CO2 emissions between no-tillage (NT) and conventional intensive tillage have been well assessed in paddy fields, but few studies evaluate the effects of different NT modes on soil CO2 emissions. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted to assess paddy soil CO2 flux as affected by different NT modes ENT#091;ridge cultivation with NT (RNT) and conventional flat cultivation with NT (FNT)ENT#093; and its influencing factors during the 2012-2014 rice growing seasons in central China. Soil CO2 fluxes were determined by a LI-8100A soil CO2 flux system. The mean soil CO2 fluxes on the ridges in the RNT treatment increased by 49%, 52% and 35% compared with those on the flat land in the FNT treatment in 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively. Cumulative CO2 its emissions ranged from 1042 g m-2 to 1489 g m-2 from the RNT treatment, and from 724 g m-2 to 1016 g m-2 for the FNT treatment. Moreover, soil CO2 emissions were significantly correlated with dissolved organic C, aboveground biomass and root biomass. Therefore, our results suggesting that annual rice-fallow-oilseed rape rotation should be considered to assess the effects of tillage systems on soil CO2 emission.

The Effects of Rape Residue Mulching on Net Global Warming Potential and Greenhouse Gas Intensity from No-Tillage Paddy Fields

A field experiment was conducted to provide a complete greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting for global warming potential (GWP), net GWP, and greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) from no-tillage (NT) paddy fields with different amounts of oilseed rape residue mulch (0, 3000, 4000, and 6000 kg dry matter (DM) ha−1) during a rice-growing season after 3 years of oilseed rape-rice cultivation. Residue mulching treatments showed significantly more organic carbon (C) density for the 0–20 cm soil layer at harvesting than no residue treatment. During a rice-growing season, residue mulching treatments sequestered significantly more organic C from 687 kg C ha−1 season−1 to 1654 kg C ha−1 season−1 than no residue treatment. Residue mulching significantly increased emissions of CO2 and N2O but decreased CH4 emissions. Residue mulching treatments significantly increased GWP by 9–30% but significantly decreased net GWP by 33–71% and GHGI by 35–72% relative to no residue treatment. These results suggest that agricultural economic viability and GHG mitigation can be achieved simultaneously by residue mulching on NT paddy fields in central China.

Evaluating carbon fluxes of global forest ecosystems by using an individual tree-based model FORCCHN

The carbon budget of forest ecosystems, an important component of the terrestrial carbon cycle, needs to be accurately quantified and predicted by ecological models. As a preamble to apply the model to estimate global carbon uptake by forest ecosystems, we used the CO2 flux measurements from 37 forest eddy-covariance sites to examine the individual tree-based FORCCHN models performance globally. In these initial tests, the FORCCHN model simulated gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (ER) and net ecosystem production (NEP) with correlations of 0.72, 0.70 and 0.53, respectively, across all forest biomes. The model underestimated GPP and slightly overestimated ER across most of the eddy-covariance sites. An underestimation of NEP arose primarily from the lower GPP estimates. Model performance was better in capturing both the temporal changes and magnitude of carbon fluxes in deciduous broadleaf forest than in evergreen broadleaf forest, and it performed less well for sites in Mediterranean climate. We then applied the model to estimate the carbon fluxes of forest ecosystems on global scale over 1982-2011. This application of FORCCHN gave a total GPP of 59.41±5.67 and an ER of 57.21±5.32PgCyr-1 for global forest ecosystems during 1982-2011. The forest ecosystems over this same period contributed a large carbon storage, with total NEP being 2.20±0.64PgCyr-1. These values are comparable to and reinforce estimates reported in other studies. This analysis highlights individual tree-based model FORCCHN could be used to evaluate carbon fluxes of forest ecosystems on global scale.

Different response of an elite Bt restorer line of hybrid rice (Oryza sativa L.) in adaptation to nitrogen deficiency

Transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) rice have been reported to acquire effective resistance against the target pests; however, the insertion and expression of alien Bt genes may have some unintended effects on the growth characteristics of rice. A screen-house experiment was conducted and repeated twice to investigate the growth characteristics and Bt protein expressions in two Bt rice lines [MH63 (Cry2A*) and MH63 (Cry1Ab/Ac)], which had different Bt protein expression levels in leaves, under zero nitrogen (N0) and recommended nitrogen (NR) fertilizer applications. Compared to the counterpart MH63, MH63 (Cry2A*) under N0 experienced accelerated leaf senescence and a lower internal N use efficiency (IEN), resulting in a 23.2% decrease in grain yield and a lower accumulated biomass. These variations were revealed to be correlated to the higher ratio of the Bt protein content to the soluble protein content (BTC/SPC) with a maximum value of 4.3‰ in MH63 (Cry2A*) leaves in the late growth stage. Under NR, no differences in growth characteristics between MH63 (Cry2A*) and MH63 were found. The growth characteristics of MH63 (Cry1Ab/Ac), with a lower BTC/SPC in the late growth stage compared to MH63 (Cry2A*), were identical to those of MH63 under the two N applications. Results show that the transgenic Bt rice MH63 (Cry2A*), with a relatively higher Bt protein expression in the late growth stage, had an inferior adaptation to nitrogen deficiency compared to its non-Bt counterpart. And this inferior adaptation was found to be correlated with the higher BTC/SPC in MH63 (Cry2A*) leaves in the late growth stage.

Crop yield, P uptake and soil organic phosphorus fractions in response to short-term tillage and fertilization under a rape-rice rotation in central China

We conducted a 3-year field experiment on an Anthrosol paddy soil to investigate changes in crop yield, P uptake and soil organic phosphorus (P) fractions after 3 years of conventional tillage (CT) conversion to no-tillage (NT) under a rape - rice rotation in central China. Treatments were established following a split-plot design of a randomized complete block with tillage practice as the main plot and fertilizer as the sub-plot treatment. The yields of rape and rice ranged from 1378 to 2264 kg ha-1 and from 5895 to 9453 kg ha-1 across 3 years, respectively. Moreover, P uptake for rape and rice (aboveground) varied from 3.9 to 10.4 kg ha-1 and from 9.5 to 32.0 kg ha-1, respectively. Fertilization significantly enhanced crop yields and P uptake, but tillage did not affect the yields and P uptake. Fertilization significantly increased total P concentrations, acid phosphatase activity, Bray-1 P and labile organic P in the 0-5 cm soil layer. Compared to the CT treatments, the NT treatments had significantly higher acid phosphatase activity, total P, Bray-1 P, total organic P and organic P fractions in the 0-5 cm soil layer but lower organic P fractions in the 5-20 cm soil layer. Therefore, our results suggest that short-term NT does not enhance organic P concentrations in the 0-20 cm soil layer, and only improve P availability on the soil surface.