Changes in Soil C and N Contents and Mineralization Across a Cultivation Chronosequence of Paddy Fields in Subtropical China

Dynamics of soil organic matter in a cultivation chronosequence of paddy fields were studied in subtropical China.Mineralization of soil organic matter was determined by measuring CO2 evolution from soil during 20 days of laboratoryincubation. In the first 30 years of cultivation, soil organic C and N contents increased rapidly. After 30 years, 0-10 cmsoil contained 19.6 g kg-1 organic C and 1.62 g kg-1 total N, with the corresponding values of 18.1 g kg-1 and 1.50g kg-1 for 10-20 cm, and then remained stable even after 80 years of rice cultivation. During 20 days incubation themineralization rates of organic C and N in surface soil (0-10 cm) ranged from 2.2% to 3.3% and from 2.8% to 6.7%,respectively, of organic C and total N contents. Biologically active C size generally increased with increasing soil organicC and N contents. Soil dissolved organic C decreased after cultivation of wasteland to 10 years paddy field and thenincreased. Soil microbial biomass C increased with number of years under cultivation, while soil microbial biomass Nincreased during the first 30 years of cultivation and then stabilized. After 30 years of cultivation surface soil (0-10 cm)contained 332.8 mg kg-1 of microbial biomass C and 23.85 mg kg-1 of microbial biomass N, which were 111% and 47%higher than those in soil cultivated for 3 years. It was suggested that surface soil with 30 years of rice cultivation insubtropical China would have attained a steady state of organic C content, being about 19 g kg-1.

Changes in Soil Properties of Paddy Fields Across a Cultivation Chronosequence in Subtropical China

Rice production plays a crucial role in the food supply of China and a better understanding of the changes in paddy soil fertility and the management effects is of practical importance for increasing rice productivity. In this study, field sampling in a typical red soil region of subtropical China, Jiangxi Province, was used to observe changes in the soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in a cultivation chronosequence of paddy fields. After cultivation, clay (< 0.002 mm) content in the soil…

Pollen and Phytolith Analyses of Ancient Paddy Fields at Chuodun Site, the Yangtze River Delta

A number of paddy fields pertaining to the Majiabang Cultures (5500-3800 years BC) were discovered during the archaeological excavations that were carried out since 1998 at the Chuodun site in the Yangtze River Delta. The pollen and phytolith analyses of two soil profiles from the northeastern part of this site were carried out to trace the agricultural practices of the Neolithic period. The phytolith results showed that rice domestication in the Yangtze River Delta could be traced back to as early as the Majiabang Culture. The pollen assemblage also revealed low levels of aquatic species, similar to that in modern paddy fields. This finding suggested that humans might have removed weeds for rice cultivation during the Neolithic period. Thus, pollen analysis in association with phytolith analysis was a promising method for identifying ancient paddy fields.

Effects of cracks and some key factors on emissions of nitrous oxide in paddy fields

Paddy field is a primary agricultural landscape in the south of China and is often regarded as one of main sources emitting nitrous oxide to atmosphere. The nitrous oxide emissions under a variety of paddy field practices, such as fertilization, flooding/draining management were investigated to study on agricultural activities on paddy field affect the dynamic process of the emission. Under no addition of fertilizers the average emission flux of nitrous oxide was 8 55 μg/(m 2·h) during the rice( Oryza Sativa L.) growth season. The results indicated that most of nitrous oxide emissions occurred during the crack forming and expansion period when paddy field was being drained. The diurnal emissions peak of nitrous oxide appeared at 20∶30 at night in cracked rice fields. The statistical analysis suggested that the correlation of nitrous oxide emissions flux( Y ) with soil water content( X 1), soil temperature( X 2), and E h( X 3), could be described in a regression equation: Y =-1498 95+2895 48 X 1+50 63 X 2-96 99 X 1· X 2+0 006 X 2· X 3 There were the different power equations to simulate the correlations between the everyday dynamic N 2O emissions and the mean surface area of cracks, mean volume and depth of cracks respectively during paddy soil drying by soil columns incubation experiments. Taken all together, the current study presented a dynamic analysis of nitrous oxide emission of paddy field under various conditions, therefore provided a basis for the management to balance between environmental effect and paddy field activities.

Mapping the fallowed area of paddy fields on Sanjiang Plain of Northeast China to assist water security assessments

Rice growth requires a large amount of water,and planting rice will increase the contradiction between supply and demand of water resources.Paddy field fllowing is important for the sustainable development of an agricultural region,but it remains a great challenge to accurately and quickly monitor the extent and area of fallowed paddy fields.Paddy fields have unique physical features associated with paddy rice during the flooding and transplanting phases.By comparing the differences in phenology before and after paddy field fllowing,we proposed a phenology-based fallowed paddy field mapping algorithm.We used the Google Earth Engine(GEE)cloud computing platform and Landsat 8 images to extract the fllowed paddy field area on Sanjiang Plain of China in 2018.The results indicated that the Landsat8,GEE,and phenology-based fllowed paddy field mapping algorithm can effectively support the mapping of fallowed paddy fields on Sanjiang Plain of China.Based on remote sensing monitoring,the total fallowed paddy field area of Sanjiang Plain is 91543 ha.The resultant fallowed paddy field map is of high accuracy,with a producer(user)accuracy of 83%(81%),based on validation using ground-truth samples.The Landsat-based map also exhibits high consistency with the agricultural statistical data.We estimated that paddy field fallowing reduced irigation water by 384-521 million cubic meters on Sanjiang Plain in 2018.The research results can support subsidization grants for fallowed paddy fields,the evaluation of fallowed paddy field effects and improvement in subsequent fallowed paddy field policy in the future.

A GIS-Based Database Management Package for Fertilizer Recommendations in Paddy Fields

Over-use of fertilizer in paddy fields could lead to agro-environmental pollution. Therefore, the Paddy Fertilizer Recommendation System (PFRS) application package was designed to aid in the dissemination of fertilizer recommendations for paddy fields. PFRS utilized geographical information system (GIS) ActiveX Controls, enabling the user to select a location of interest linked to a spatial database of paddy field soil characteristics. The application package also incorporated different soil fertilizer recommendation methods, forming a relational database. The application's structure consisted primarily of building database queries using Standard Query Language (SQL) constructed during run-time, based on user provided spatial parameters of a selected location, the type of soil desired and paddy production criteria. PFRS, which was comprised of five modules including: File, View, Edit, Layer and Fertilizer/Model, provided the user with map-based fertilizer recommendations based on selected soil nutrient P and K map layers as well as N characteristics and land use maps.

Response of CH_4 emission of paddy fields to land management practices at a microcosmic cultivation scale in China

The terrestrial ecosystem may be either a source or a sink of CH_4 in rice paddies, depending, to a great extent, on the change of ecosystem types and land use patterns. CH_4 emission fluxes from paddy fields under 4 cultivation patterns (conventional plain culture of rice(T1), no-tillage and ridge culture of rice(T2), no-tillage and ridge culture of rice and wheat (T3), and rice-wheat rotation(T4)) were measured with the closed chamber technique in 1996 and 1998 in Chongqing, China. The results showed that differences existed in CH_4 emission from paddy fields under these land management practices. In 1996 and 1998, CH_4 emission was 71 48% and 78 82%(T2), 65 93% and 57 18%(T3), and 61 53% and 34 22%(T4) of that in T1 during the rice growing season. During the non-rice growing season, CH_4 emission from rice fields was 76 23% in T2 and 38 69% in T1 The accumulated annual CH_4 emission in T2, T3 and T4 in 1996 decreased by 33 53%, 63 30% and 65 73%, respectively, as compared with that in T1 In 1998, the accumulated annual CH_4 emission in T1, T2, T3 and T4 was 116 96 g/m^2, 68 44 g/m^2, 19 70 g/m^2 and 11 80 g/m^2, respectively. Changes in soil physical and chemical properties, in thermal and moisture conditions in the soil and in rice plant growth induced by different land use patterns were the dominant causes for the difference in CH_4 emission observed. The relative contribution of various influencing factors to CH_4 emission from paddy fields differed significantly under different land use patterns. However, the general trend was that chlorophyll content in rice leaves, air temperature and temperature at the 5 cm soil layer play a major role in CH_4 emission from paddy fields and the effects of illumination, relative humidity and water layer depth in the paddy field and CH_4 concentration in the crop canopy were relatively non-significant. Such conservative land use patterns as no-tillage and ridge culture of rice with or without rotation with wheat are thought to be beneficial to reducing CH_4 emission from paddy fields and are, therefore, recommended as a significant solution to the problems of global(climatic) change.

Effects of nitrogen application rate and hill density on rice yield and nitrogen utilization in sodic saline–alkaline paddy fields

Soil salinity and alkalinity can inhibit crop growth and reduce yield,and this has become a global environmental concern.Combined changes in nitrogen (N) application and hill density can improve rice yields in sodic saline–alkaline paddy fields and protect the environment.We investigated the interactive effects of N application rate and hill density on rice yield and N accumulation,translocation and utilization in two field experiments during 2018 and 2019 in sodic saline–alkaline paddy fields.Five N application rates (0 (control),90,120,150,and 180 kg N ha^(-1) (N0–N4),respectively) and three hill densities(achieved by altering the distance between hills,in rows spaced 30 cm apart:16.5 cm (D1),13.3 cm (D2) and 10 cm (D3))were utilized in a split-plot design with three replicates.Nitrogen application rate and hill density significantly affected grain yield.The mathematical model of quadratic saturated D-optimal design showed that with an N application rate in the range of 0–180 kg N ha^(-1),the highest yield was obtained at 142.61 kg N ha^(-1) which matched with a planting density of 33.3×10^(4) ha^(-1).Higher grain yield was mainly attributed to the increase in panicles m^(–2).Nitrogen application rate and hill density significantly affected N accumulation in the aboveground parts of rice plants and showed a highly significant positive correlation with grain yield at maturity.From full heading to maturity,the average N loss rate of the aboveground parts of rice plants in N4 was 70.21% higher than that of N3.This is one of the reasons why the yield of N4 treatment is lower than that of the N3 treatment.Nitrogen accumulation rates in the aboveground parts under treatment N3 (150 kg N ha^(-1)) were 81.68 and 106.07% higher in 2018 and 2019,respectively,than those in the control.The N translocation and N translocation contribution rates increased with the increase in the N application rate and hill density,whereas N productivity of dry matter and grain first increased and then decreased with the increase in N application rate and hill density.Agronomic N-use efficiency decreased with an increase in N application rate,whereas hill density did not significantly affect it.Nitrogen productivity of dry matter and grain,and agronomic N-use efficiency,were negatively correlated with grain yield.Thus,rice yield in sodic saline–alkaline paddy fields can be improved by combined changes in the N application rate and hill density to promote aboveground N accumulation.Our study provides novel evidence regarding optimal N application rates and hill densities for sodic saline–alkaline rice paddies.

Dry deposition of ammonia around paddy fields in the subtropical hilly area in southern China

This study measured the ammonia(NH3)concentration and dry deposition within 100 m around paddy fields(0.6 ha)with double rice cropping in the subtropical hilly area in southern China,with the aims to quantify the dry deposition of NH3 around the emission source and to clarify its temporal and spatial variability.The results showed that high NH3 concentrations were found during the 15 d after nitrogen(N)fertilizer application at downwind sites within 100maround the paddy fields,and the NH3 concentrations were 12–62,2.8–7.3,13–38,and 4.9–36μg N m−3 during the 15 d after basal fertilizer application and topdressing in the early rice season and after basal fertilizer application and topdressing in the late rice season,respectively.The NH3 concentrations were relatively low(1.5–-3.8μg N m−3)during other periods of the rice season at the downwind sites,which indicated that N fertilizer application in paddy fields highly affected the NH3 concentration at downwind sites.The NH3 concentrations at the downwind sites decreased significantly with the increase in distance from the paddy fields.The total NH3 dry deposition around 100 m of the paddy fields accounted for approximately 79%and 81%of the emitted NH3 from the paddy fields in the early and late rice seasons,respectively.The results indicate that dry deposition of NH3 around emission sources may be an important way to remove the NH3 volatilized from croplands in this subtropical hilly area.

Multiple cropping and soil fertility in sustainable production of paddy fields

Multiple cropping has been popularized on morethan two thirds of the total area of paddy fields inSouth China.It demands more nutrients due tohigher cropping index.Therefore,how to keepmoderately higher yields of multiple crops and to

Effects of Organic Manure Applications on Methane and Nitrous Oxide Emissions in Paddy Fields

This study was carried out in paddy fields to explore how organic manure applications would affect greenhouse emissions in South China. The results showed that the seasonal emission of CH4 under the chemical fertilizer （CF） treatment was 271.47 kg/hm^2. In comparison, the seasonal emissions of CH4 under the treatment of pig manure （PM）, chicken manure （CM） and rice straw （RS） increased by 50.61,260.22 and 602.82 kg/hm^2, respectively. N2O emission under the CF treatment was 1.22 kg/hm^2, while the N20 seasonal emissions under tile PM, CM and RS treatment decreased by 23.6% （P〈0.05）, 31.7% （P〈0.05） and 30.9% （P〈0.05）, respectively. Meanwhile, the readily oxidized organic carbon （which was oxidized by 167 mmol/L potassium permanganate, ROC167） of manure, paddy soil Eh value and temperature could also affect the CH4 emissions. The average yield of the organic fertilizer treatments increased by 6.8% compared with that of the CF treatment. Among all the organic fertilizer treatments, the PM treatment offered the lowest global warming potential and greenhouse gas intensity, in which the PM was of no significant difference from NF （no fertilizing） and CF. Therefore, the pig manure is capable of coordinating the relationship between environment and yield, and it also has a low ROC167 content, so the PM is considered worthy of recommendation.

Effects of Agricultural Machine Fuel Consumption on Paddy Fields

Recently, rice-growing farmers in Japan have confronted difficult conditions and decreasing market prices of rice. The Shonai area of Yamagata prefecture, which has many medium-scale cultivated fields, is among Japan＇s largest rice cultivation areas. However, few studies have described the fuel consumption of agricultural machines in medium-scale paddy fields. Farmers in this area use some working systems, and fuel consumption can be reduced by changing the machine settings. Nevertheless, few studies have compared working systems related to fuel consumption. Therefore, the influence of different working systems （two methods for each of tillage, puddling and harvesting operations） on fuel consumption was investigated in medium-scale paddy fields. Working information for each agricultural machine was obtained using GPS logger attached to them. Fuel consumption was measured using a top fill method for each work test. The total work rates were 4.4 h/ha and 4.7 h/ha for method 1 and method 2 at tillage, 4.5 h/ha and 4.7 h/ha for method 3 and method 4 at puddling, respectively. Work rate was 4.0 h/ha for both method 5 and method 6 at harvesting （cutting width： 1,440 mm; work speed： 1.25 rn/s and 1.35m/s）. Results showed that the fuel consumptions were 23 L/ha and 26 L/ha for method 1 and method 2 at tillage, 17.2 L/h and 18.4 L/ha for method 3 and method 4 at puddling, and 30 L/ha and 28 L/ha for method 5 and method 6 at harvesting, respectively. These results showed no significant difference in fuel consumption between any working methods of rice cultivation. Tillage operation showed increased fuel consumption with higher working hours （included turn, back and other movements）, higher total work time and also higher total distance. Puddling showed increased fuel consumption with higher working time that included turn and other movements. Harvesting operation showed increased fuel consumption as the total working time increased.

Present Situation and Prospect of Comprehensive Planting and Culture in Paddy Fields in Northeast China

The rice planting area in Northeast China has reached 5.6 million ha,but the utilization rate of comprehensive culture area in paddy field is only 2%.It is mainly dominated by fish culture in paddy field and crab culture in paddy field,which has broad development prospects.In recent years,the comprehensive planting and culture area of paddy fields in Liaoning Province has developed rapidly with a total of 80000 ha.In accordance with the local environmental conditions,Heilongjiang and Jilin regions have introduced a new model and technology of comprehensive planting and culture in paddy fields,and developed a comprehensive planting and breeding model of paddy fields with characteristics.At present,the comprehensive planting and culture in paddy fields in Northeast China is still in the stage of rapid development,which needs to be further developed towards specialization,scale,industrialization,high quality and brand.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF METHANE EMISSIONS FROM RICE PADDY FIELDS IN THE YANGTZE DELTA OF CHINA

A numerical simulation model is presented in this paper,which comprises the processes of crop growth,soil organic carbon decomposition,and methane emissions in agroecosystems. Simulation results show that the model can simulate the main process of methane emissions well, and the correlation coefficient between the simulated values and observed data is 0.79 with 239 samples,which passed a significance test of 0.01.The average error of methane emission simulation in whole growth period is about 15%.Numerical analysis of the model indicates that the average temperature during rice growth period has much impacts on methane emissions,and the basic trend of interannual methane emissions is similar to that of average temperature.The amount of methane emissions reduces about 34.93%,when the fertilizer is used instead of manure in single rice paddy.

Can arbuscular mycorrhiza and fertilizer management reduce phosphorus runoff from paddy fields?

Our study sought to assess how much phosphorus（P） runoff from paddy fields could be cut down by fertilizer management and inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. A field experiment was conducted in Lalin River basin, in the northeast China： six nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizer levels were provided（0, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% of the recommended fertilizer supply）, with or without inoculation with Glomus mosseae. The volume and concentrations of particle P（PP） and dissolved P（DP） were measured for each runoff during the rice growing season. It was found that the seasonal P runoff, including DP and PP, under the local fertilization was 3.7 kg/ha, with PP, rather than DP, being the main form of P in runoff water. Additionally, the seasonal P runoff dropped only by 8.9% when fertilization decreased by 20%; rice yields decreased with declining fertilization. We also found that inoculation increased rice yields and decreased P runoff at each fertilizer level and these effects were lower under higher fertilization. Conclusively, while rice yields were guaranteed arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation and fertilizer management would play a key role in reducing P runoff from paddy fields.

Reducing nitrogen runoff from paddy fields with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi under different fertilizer regimes

Nitrogen（N） runoff from paddy fields serves as one of the main sources of water pollution. Our aim was to reduce N runoff from paddy fields by fertilizer management and inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi（AMF）. In northeast China, Shuangcheng city in Heilongjiang province, a field experiment was conducted, using rice provided with 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%,and 100% of the local norm of fertilization（including N, phosphorus and potassium）, with or without inoculation with Glomus mosseae. The volume, concentrations of total N（TN）,dissolved N（DN） and particulate N（PN） of runoff water were measured. We found that the local norm of fertilization led to 18.9 kg/ha of N runoff during rice growing season, with DN accounting for 60%–70%. We also found that reduction in fertilization by 20% cut down TN runoff by 8.2% while AMF inoculation decreased N runoff at each fertilizer level and this effect was inhibited by high fertilization. The combination of inoculation with AMF and 80% of the local norm of fertilization was observed to reduce N runoff by 27.2%. Conclusively, we suggested that the contribution of AMF inoculation combined with decreasing fertilization should get more attention to slow down water eutrophication by reducing N runoff from paddy fields.

Evaluating system of rice intensification using a modified transplanter:A smart farming solution toward sustainability of paddy fields in Malaysia

This paper presents the study reports on evaluating a new transplanting operation by taking into accounts the interactions between soil,plant,and machine in line with the System of Rice Intensification(SRI)practices.The objective was to modify planting claw(kuku-kambing)of a paddy transplanter in compliance with SRI guidelines to determine the best planting spacing(S),seed rate(G)and planting pattern that results in a maximum number of seedling,tillers per hill,and yield.Two separate experiments were carried out in two different paddy fields,one to determine the best planting spacing(S=4 levels:s_(1)=0.16 m×0.3 m,s_(2)=0.18 m×0.3 m,s_(3)=0.21 m×0.3 m,and s_(4)=0.24 m×0.3 m)for a specific planting pattern(row mat or scattered planting pattern),and the other to determine the best combination of spacing with seed rate treatments(G=2 levels:g1=75 g/tray,and g2=240 g/tray).Main SRI management practices such as soil characteristics of the sites,planting depth,missing hill,hill population,the number of seedling per hill,and yield components were evaluated.Results of two-way analysis of variance with three replications showed that spacing,planting pattern and seed rate affected the number of one-seedling in all experiment.It was also observed that the increase in spacing resulted in more tillers and more panicle per plant,however hill population and sterility ratio increased with the decrease in spacing.While the maximum number of panicles were resulted from scattered planting at s_(4)=0.24 m×0.3 m spacing with the seed rate of g1=75 g/tray,the maximum number of one seedling were observed at s_(4)=0.16 m×0.3 m.The highest and lowest yields were obtained from 75 g seeds per tray scattered and 70 g seeds per tray scattered treatment respectively.For all treatments,the result clearly indicates an increase in yield with an increase in spacing.

Study of Ecological Compensation for Paddy Fields: Oriented towards Eco-environmental Restoration

Agricultural land provides not only food and fiber（an important element of food security）, but also serves as a non-market commodity with characteristic externalities and public services. However, there are also many negative impacts on environment of the paddy production. Thus, Payments for paddy ecosystem services encourage farmers to engage in ecological or organic agricultural practices and agro-ecological/environmental supply. However, compared with forest, wetland, and pasture, the eco-function and ecosystem services of paddy fields have gotten insufficient attention. It is necessary to establish an eco-compensation mechanism for paddy fields that boosts behavior that protects farms to benefit the ecosystem. Based on a review of eco-compensation for paddy fields, this paper proposes the policy game framework of eco-compensation for paddy fields, which is oriented to ecological restoration. Secondly, this paper introduces methods for determination of compensation standards, including the cost the farmers＇ willingness to accept, and the ecological benefits of adopting environmental friendly farming practices. And finally, this paper puts forward policy recommendations for eco-compensation for paddy ecosystems.

Measurement of Ammonia Emission Following Surface Application of Urea Fertilizer from Irrigated Paddy Rice Fields

Ammonia emission is one of the most important pathways of nitrogen loss from agricultural cultivated field. In this paper, we report the measurement of ammonia emission from paddy rice field obtained by surface application of urea fertilizer with water management. The main objective of the present study were to assess the amount of NH3 emission and the loss of nitrogen from paddy field as affected by various N doses, i.e., 0 (control), 90 (N1), 180 (N2), 270 (N3) and 360 (N4) kg ha-1, following field surface application of urea fertilizer with water management. Ammonia emissions were measured by continuous airflow enclosure method from plots fertilized with the application of surface urea. Increase in urea-N dosage increased NH3 emission that was measured from paddy rice field. Ammonia emission started immediately and was almost complete within 12 days after top dressing of urea application to the soils. Ammonia emissions were nearly constant in all treatments from 12 days after fertilizer application. Highest ammonia emission rate was 28 g /day and total amount of ammonia emission was 56.21 kg ha-1 for 360 kg N ha-1 dose. No remarkable observation was found about temperature for ammonia emission. Due to proper water management practices less emission was observed throughout the experiment period. The results also show that N loss through NH3 emission accounted for 11 to 16% during the rice- growing season. These magnitudes of loss of N appear to be most important for environmental point of view.

Integrated rice management simultaneously improves rice yield and nitrogen use efficiency in various paddy fields

The hilly area of Southwest China is a typical rice production area which is limited by seasonal droughts and low temperature in the early rice growth period.A field experiment was conducted on three typical paddy fields(low-lying paddy field,medium-elevation paddy field,and upland paddy field)in this region.Nitrogen(N)treatment(180 kg N ha-1 year-1)was compared to a control treatment(0 kg N ha-1 year-1)to evaluate the effects of integrated rice management(IRM)on rice growth,grain yield,and N utilization.Integrated rice management integrated raised beds containing plastic mulch,furrow irrigation,and triangular transplanting.In comparison to traditional rice management(TRM),IRM promoted rice tiller development,with 7–13 more tillers per cluster at the maximum tillering stage and 1–6 more tillers per cluster at the end of tillering stage.Integrated rice management significantly increased the rice aboveground biomass by 34.4%–109.0%in different growth periods and the aboveground N uptake by 25.3%–159.0%.Number of productive tillers significantly increased by 33.0%,resulting in a 33.0%increase in grain yield and 8.0%improvement of N use efficiency(NUE).Grain yields were significantly increased in all three paddy fields assessed,with IRM being the most important factor for grain yield and productive tiller development.Effects of paddy field type and N level on N uptake by aboveground plants were reflected in the rice reproductive growth period,with the effects of IRM more striking due to the dry climate conditions.In conclusion,IRM simultaneously improved rice yield and NUE,presenting a valuable rice management technique in the paddy fields assessed.