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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Effect of straw returning in winter fallow in Chinese rice fields on greenhouse gas emissions: evidence from an incubation study

Yupeng Wu A B , Tian Liu A , Qi’an Peng A , Muhammad Shaaban A and Ronggui Hu A B C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China.

B Key Laboratory of Arable Land Conservation (Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River), Ministry of Agriculture, Wuhan 430070, P.R. China.

C Corresponding author. Email: rghu@mail.hzau.edu

Soil Research 53(3) 298-305 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR14261
Submitted: 17 September 2014  Accepted: 25 January 2015   Published: 11 May 2015

Abstract

Many studies have been performed to compare different straw-returning methods that could provide environmental benefits. However, few studies have focused on the greenhouse gas emissions from straw returning under winter water-stored fields (flooded conditions) and winter fallow fields (non-flooded conditions), which are the common land use types after the rice harvest in southern China. Thus, in the present microcosm incubation experiment, CO2, CH4 and N2O emissions were compared under flooded and non-flooded soil conditions, following straw incorporation. Straw application stimulated CO2 cumulative emission, and this effect was exacerbated by flooding (1818 and 4271 mg kg–1 under non-flooded and flooded conditions, respectively). Although the application of straw can mitigate N2O cumulative emissions under flooded conditions (10 152 μg kg–1 without and –51 μg kg–1 with straw incorporation, respectively), higher CO2 and CH4 production was detected (4271 and 149.20 mg kg–1 for CO2 and CH4 cumulative emissions, respectively). In contrast, straw application under non-flooded conditions had a relatively low global warming potential value (1836 mg CO2 Eq kg–1). Consequently, winter fallow field is recommended after the integrated application of straw and nitrogen fertiliser because of its low global warming potential. However, different strategies may be required for long-term reduction in global warming potential values.

Additional keywords: flooded and non-flooded conditions, global warming potential, paddy soil, residue incorporation.


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