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The resource utilization of organic materials in China cropland is a great challenge we are facing now. To study the ecological effects of biochar utilization, and explore the response of carbon emission intensity (GHGI) to biochar amendment for the long term in a double rice field in South China, two-year field measurements of greenhouse gases based on a static chamber-gas chromatography method were conducted. Six experimental treatments were set up, including 1) CK (famer traditional operation), 2) BC1 (biochar amendment at 5 t/hm2), 3) BC2 (biochar amendment at 10 t/hm2), 4) BC3 (biochar amendment at 20 t/hm2), 5) RS (raw rice straw residue return) and 6) RI (composted rice straw residue return). As a result, compared to CK, all of the biochar treatments inhibited the emission peaks of greenhouse gases from the double rice field. During the four rice growing seasons, the three biochar treatments decreased the 100 yr-scaled carbon dioxide emission equivalents by 27.53%, 58.65%, and 63.43%, respectively, compared with CK, RS, and RI. The biochar treatments significantly reduced methane emissions (P<0.05) at an average reduction rate of 50.84%. Among the three biochar and two rice straw residue treatments, BC3 had the lowest methane emission potential (2.75 mg/(m2 h)), while RS had the highest (10.05 mg/(m2·h)). For the nitrous oxide emissions, the average value of the three biochar treatments was lower than CK but higher than the two rice straw residue return treatments (P>0.05). Furthermore, there was no statistical significant yield increase effect found in the biochar treatments (P>0.05), compared with CK, RS, and RI, as the four-season average rice yields of the three biochar treatments were increased by 3.21%, 5.11%, and 2.29%, respectively. A significant higher yield in BC3 was observed than that in RS (P<0.05). Additionally, on a 100-year horizon, the GHGI of the three biochar treatments (average at 0.33 kg/kg) were 30.57%, 61.00%, and 64.82% lower than CK (0.48 kg/kg), RS (0.86 kg/kg), and RI (0.48 kg/kg), respectively. By the correlation matrix and principal component analysis, the biochar amendment controlled the distribution of rice yield, harvest index, soil organic matter, total carbon content, and chlorophyll content, while the rice straw residue return treatments dominated the distribution of the methane flux and GHGI. In summary, based on the present study, the application of the regression tree analysis offered a quantitative alternative to decision-making in analyzing the effects of biochar amendment on ecological environment. The results of this study indicated that the biochar amendment in soils has the potential to enhance soil carbon sequestration, increase rice yield, and mitigate the carbon emission intensity and the impact of climate change by optimization of the field managements and biochar return in an appropriate amount. This research could be used as a successful case study of scientific utilization of crop straw residue in China's agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize production inevitably generates greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions which contribute to global warming. The greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) of maize production was controlled by various management techniques. Fuel, fertilizer production, herbicide production, seed consumption, transportation, and on-farm energy consumption all result in GHG emissions. Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology was adopted in this study to calculate GHG emissions under different fertilization treatments aiming at comprehensively evaluating the effects of different fertilization treatments on GHG emissions and selecting the options with both economic benefits and GHG mitigation. Four different fertilization treatments are: local traditional fertilization; urea treatment; sulfur coated urea; and urea added with dicyandiamide treatment. Static chamber and gas chromatography (GC) systems were used to continuously monitor N2O emissions from maize cropland. N2O emissions under different fertilization treatments were calculated. Data on the amount and type of fertilizer applied, energy consumption for the tillage, herbicide consumption, irrigation area and Diesel consumption, for tillage, electricity consumption for irrigation, and seed consumption were collected. Total GHG emissions from fertilizer production, energy consumption, seed production were estimated. GHG emission intensity based on grain yield and economic benefit were also calculated. The result showed that N2O emissions from fertilization, total GHG emission of the whole life cycle, emission intensities based on yield and output were all ranked as local traditional fertilization>urea treatment>urea added with dicyandiamide treatment>sulfur coated urea treatment. N2O emissions from the local traditional fertilization treatment was very significantly higher than that from the other three treatments (P<0.01). N2O emissions from the sulfur coated urea treatment was significantly lower than that from the urea treatment (P<0.05) and was not significantly different from that in the urea added with dicyandiamide treatment (P>0.05). Total GHG emissions from the treatments of local traditional fertilization, urea, sulfur coated urea, and urea added with dicyandiamide were 4.11, 2.71, 2.56, and 2.61 t/(hm2.a) respectively. Emission per unit of yield for the treatments of local traditional fertilization, urea, sulfur coated urea, and urea added with dicyandiamide were 364.1, 238.3, 216.6, and 223.4 kg/t maize, respectively. Emission per 10 000 yuan for the treatments of local traditional fertilization, urea, sulfur coated urea, and urea added with dicyandiamide were 2.19, 1.32, 1.15, and 1.18 t /10 000 yuan respectively. Compared with a traditional fertilization treatment, sulfur coated urea could reduce total GHG emissions, GHG emission per unit of yield and per 10 000 yuan net output by 37.8%, 40.5%, and 47.3% respectively, while the urea added with dicyandiamide treatment could reduce total GHG emissions, GHG emission per unit of yield, and per 10 000 yuan by 36.5%, 38.6%, and 45.9% respectively. Production of fertilizers, especially nitrogen fertilizer, makes the greatest contribution to total GHG emissions for maize cultivation, accounting for 42.4%-55.0% of the total GHG emissions from the four treatments, followed by fertilizer application, accounting for 20.8%-26.1% of the total GHG emissions from the four treatments. In order to ensure grain output and economic benefits, two fertilization treatments, sulfur coated urea treatment and urea added with dicyandiamide treatment, resulted in relatively low total emissions and emission intensity. They can be recommended as options to mitigate GHG emissions from maize production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) (methane and nitrous oxide) of double rice paddy was controlled by various field managements, tillage, and rice straw return to the field. On one hand, the choice of the tillage mode affects the gas permeability of soil during the crop-growing stage. On the other, the incorporation of rice straw can be a critical way to amend the loss of soil carbon. Both of the two practices have their advantages and disadvantages on rice production and environmental effects. In fact, no tillage causes less methane emissions from double rice fields than the field with conventional tillage. Nevertheless, rice straw return to the field increases tremendous methane production and emission of organic carbon. In spite of its promotion on rice productivity and sequestration of soil organic carbon pool, this practice is still under discussion .Therefore, multi-management mode should be considered simultaneously when regional or national policy is made to reduce GHGI from agriculture. To date, the study of the interaction effect of tillage and the rice residue return on GHGI from double rice fields is lacking. Most of the previous studies focused only on one field management and its influence mechanism. Consequently, we conducted a measurement for 4 rice growing seasons on GHGI of a double rice field in Hunan, China to investigate the interaction effect of tillage and rice straw return on both the social-economical and environmental benefits. The improved static chamber-GC (gas chromatography) method was used to monitor the greenhouse gas emissions from the rice paddy. Major improvements made on the chamber include the adjustable sampling tube and the pores in the base. The former was designed to change with the growth of the rice plant and the latter favored the communication of soil water between the inside and outside of the base. Both of them enhanced the accuracy of the field measurement. Four field practices were included in this research, viz. CWS (Conventional tillage, without straw residue return), NWS (No till, without straw residue return), HN (High stubble residue retain, no till), and HC (High stubble residue retain, conventional tillage). Results showed that there is a significant interaction effect of tillage and rice residue return on methane emissions (P<0.05) instead of nitrous oxide emissions from the double rice field. The interaction effect has pronounced seasonal and inter-annual variation. By the seasonal average value, the sequence of methane flux of each treatment is the following: HC>HN>CWS>NWS (HC significantly greater than HN while no significant difference between HN and CWS). Similarly, the amount of rice grain yield of each treatment of the 4 seasons is the following: CWS>HN>HC>NWS (no significant difference between HN and CWS). For the GHGI, the following order is disclosed: HC>CWS>HN>NWS (HN less than HC and CWS significantly, P<0.05). This indicated that compared to CWS, "no-till plus high stubble residue (HN)" offset the stimulations of conventional tillage on methane production and emission while simultaneously promoting the rice grain yield. Thus the multimanagement mode mitigated the GHGI of the double rice field significantly. Under the requirement of organic tillage and the sequestration of agricultural soil carbon pool, HN mode should be considered of great importance. This study can provide scientific support on the measurement choice of greenhouse gases effect reduction from the major rice production region of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]