Optimizing Nitrogen and Residue Management to Reduce GHG Emissions while Maintaining Crop Yield: A Case Study in a Mono-Cropping System of Northeast China

Jianzheng Li, Zhongkui Luo, Yingchun Wang, Hu Li, Hongtao Xing, Ligang Wang, Enli Wang, Hui Xu, Chunyu Gao and Tianzhi Ren
Additional contact information
Jianzheng Li: Key Laboratory of Agri-information Service Technology, Ministry of Agriculture / Agricultural Information Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Zhongkui Luo: College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Yingchun Wang: CAAS-UNH Joint Laboratory for Sustainable Agro-Ecosystem / Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Hu Li: CAAS-UNH Joint Laboratory for Sustainable Agro-Ecosystem / Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Hongtao Xing: NSW Department of Primary Industries, Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650, Australia
Ligang Wang: CAAS-UNH Joint Laboratory for Sustainable Agro-Ecosystem / Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Enli Wang: CSIRO Agriculture and Food, GPO Box 17000, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
Hui Xu: Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
Chunyu Gao: CAAS-UNH Joint Laboratory for Sustainable Agro-Ecosystem / Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Tianzhi Ren: Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 18, 1-16

Abstract: Reducing the use of nitrogen fertilizers and returning straw to field are being promoted in northeast China (NEC). In this paper, the agricultural production system model (APSIM) was applied to assess the long-term variations of crop yield and soil GHG emissions in a maize mono-cropping system of NEC, and the simulation results were combined with lifecycle assessment to estimate annual GHG emissions (GHG L ) and GHG emission intensity (GHG I , GHG emissions per unit yield) of different agricultural practices. Under current farmers’ practice, emissions due to machinery input (including production, transportation, repair, and maintenance) and soil organic carbon (SOC) decline accounted for 15% of GHG L , while emissions from nitrogen fertilizer input (production and transportation) and direct N 2 O emissions from soil accounted for the majority (~60% of GHG L ). Current farmers’ practice in terms of N application and residue management are nearly optimal for crop production but not for climate change mitigation. Reducing N input by 13% and increasing straw retention by 20% can maintain crop yield and SOC, and also reduce GHG L and GHG I by 13% and 11%, respectively. However, it is not feasible to incorporate the straw used as household fuel into soil, which could incur substantial fossil CO 2 emissions of 3.98 Mg CO 2 -eq ha −1 resulting from the substitution of coal for straw. APSIM was successful in simulating crop yield, N 2 O emissions, and SOC change in NEC, and our results highlight opportunities to further optimize management strategies (especially for the nitrogen and straw management) to reduce GHG emissions while maintaining crop yield.

Keywords: grain yield; GHG emissions; APSIM; lifecycle assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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