Can the Integration of Water and Fertilizer Promote the Sustainable Development of Rice Production in China?

Qin Liao, Jiangxia Nie, Huilai Yin, Yongheng Luo, Chuanhai Shu, Qingyue Cheng, Hao Fu, Biao Li, Liangyu Li, Yongjian Sun, Zongkui Chen, Jun Ma, Na Li, Xiaoli Zhang () and Zhiyuan Yang ()
Additional contact information
Qin Liao: Rice Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Jiangxia Nie: Rice Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Huilai Yin: Rice Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Yongheng Luo: Rice Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Chuanhai Shu: Rice Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Qingyue Cheng: Rice Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Hao Fu: Rice Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Biao Li: Rice Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Liangyu Li: Chengdu Academic of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Chengdu 611130, China
Yongjian Sun: Rice Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Zongkui Chen: Rice Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Jun Ma: Rice Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Na Li: College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Xiaoli Zhang: Chengdu Academic of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Chengdu 611130, China
Zhiyuan Yang: Rice Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-18

Abstract: Rice production is the agricultural activity with the highest energy consumption and carbon emission intensity. Water and fertilizer management constitutes an important part of energy input for rice production and a key factor affecting greenhouse gas emissions from paddy fields. Water–fertilizer integration management (AIM) is an automated water and fertilizer management system for large-scale rice production, which can effectively save water and fertilizer resources. At present, the energy utilization and environmental impact of AIM in rice production are not clear. To clarify whether AIM is a water and fertilizer management measure that combines energy conservation and carbon emission reduction, a comparative study between the widely used farmers’ enhanced water and fertilizer management (FEM) in China and AIM was conducted in this paper. Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the rice yield, carbon emission, energy utilization, and economic benefits of the two management methods. The results showed that AIM reduced water and fertilizer inputs, energy inputs, and economic costs by 12.18–28.57%, compared to FEM. The energy utilization efficiency, energy profitability, and energy productivity under AIM were improved by 11.30–12.61%. CH 4 and N 2 O emissions and carbon footprint were reduced by 20.79%, 6.51%, and 16.39%, respectively. Compared with FEM, AIM can effectively improve the utilization efficiency of water and fertilizer resources and reduce carbon emissions. This study presents a mechanized water and fertilizer management approach suitable for large-scale rice production systems in China. By analyzing rice yield, resource utilization efficiency, and environmental benefits, AIM can serve as a crucial management strategy for enhancing productivity, economic returns, and environmental conservation within profitable rice production systems. In the future, further investigation into the impact of AIM on the microbial mechanisms underlying rice yield formation and greenhouse gas emissions is warranted.

Keywords: energy use efficiency; carbon footprint; greenhouse gas; economic benefits (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/4/585/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/4/585/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:14:y:2024:i:4:p:585-:d:1371694

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().