Nitrogen Losses from Flooded Rice Field

A field microplot experiment was conducted during the tillering stage of paddy rice to investigate nitrogen(N) Iosses from flooded rice fields following fertilizer application. After application of ammonium bicarbonate,most of nitrogen in the floodwater was present as NH4-N and its concentration varied widely with time.Concentrations of both NO3-N and NO2-N in the floodwater were low due to the weakened nitrification.Under flooded anaerobic reducing conditions, soil solution concentrations of NO3-N and NH4-N were nothigh, ranging from 0.6 mg L-1 to 4.8 mg L-1, and decreased with soil depth. However, the groundwater wasstill contaminated with NO3-N and NH4-N. Rainfall simulation tests showed that the N losses via runoff inrice fields were closely related to the time intervals between fertilizer applications and rainfall events. Whena large rain fell for a short period after fertilizer application, the N losses via runoff could be large, whichcould have a considerable effect on surface water quality. Both irrigation and N fertilizer application mustbe controlled and managed with great care to minimize N losses via runoff from agricultural land.

Efficient Management of Nitrogen Fertilizers for Flooded Rice in Relation to Nitrogen Transformations in Flooded Soils

Recent progresses in efficient management of nitrogen fertilizers for flooded rice in relation to nitrogen transformations in flooded soil were reviewed.Considerable progress has been achieved in the investigation on the mechanism of ammonia loss and the factors affecting it .However,little progress has been obtained in the investigations on nitrification-denitrification loss owing to the lack of method for estimating the fluxes of gaseous N products.Thus,so far the management practices developed or under investigation primarily for reducing ammonia loss are feasible or promising,while those for reducing nitrification-denitrification loss seem obscure,except the point deep placement. In addition,it was emphasized that the prediction of soil N supply and the recommendation of the optimal rate of N application based on it are only semi-quantitative.The priorities in research for improving the prediction are indicated.

Assessment of the Contribution of Flooded Rice Cultivation Systems to Methane Emissions in the Lower OuéméValley, in Benin Republic

Flooded rice cultivation fields appear to be the major source of methane emission. In Benin Republic, flooded rice is cultivated in the Niger River and Ouémé River Basins. The present study aims to assess the contribution of flooded rice cultivation systems to methane emissions in the lower Ouémé Valley. Methane emission calculation was based on Activity Data which is the flooded rice harvested surface area from 2008 to 2017. The Tier 2 methodology of the IPCC 2006 Guidelines’ and the complements of the “Refinement 2019” have been used to elaborate the specific emission factors for the lower valley of Ouémé and to estimate the emission of methane in this zone. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with producers in order to elaborate on their perceptions of gas emissions in the flooded rice fields. The EX-ACT tool was used to estimate the carbon footprint of the intensive rice cultivation system “SRI” and the conventional rice cultivation system “SRC”. It is shown that producers have a strong perception of gas emissions in rice fields but are totally unaware of the nature of the gas. Methane emitted in the lower valley of the Ouémé is around 528 tons/year between 2008 and 2017 while the carbon footprint resulting from the results of EX-ACT for the adoption of the SRI rises to the level of sequestration of approximately 0.4 tCH4/ha/year. The intensive rice cultivation system has been identified as the production system that minimizes methane emissions and maximizes rice production.

Methane and Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Three Paddy Rice Based Cultivation Systems in Southwest China

To understand methane （CH4） and nitrous oxide （N2O） emissions from permanently flooded rice paddy fields and to develop mitigation options, a field experiment was conducted in situ for two years （from late 2002 to early 2005） in three rice-based cultivation systems, which are a permanently flooded rice field cultivated with a single time and followed by a non-rice season （PF）, a rice-wheat rotation system （RW） and a rice-rapeseed rotation system （RR） in a hilly area in Southwest China. The results showed that the total CH4 emissions from PF were 646.3±52.1 and 215.0±45.4 kg CH4 hm^-2 during the rice-growing period and non-rice period, respectively. Both values were much lower than many previous reports from similar regions in Southwest China. The CH4 emissions in the rice-growing season were more intensive in PF, as compared to RW and RR. Only 33% of the total annual CH4 emission in PF occurred in the non-rice season, though the duration of this season is two times longer than the rice season. The annual mean N2O flux in PF was 4.5±0.6 kg N2O hm^-2 yr^-1. The N2O emission in the rice-growing season was also more intensive than in the non-rice season, with only 16% of the total annual emission occurring in the non-rice season. The amounts of N2O emission in PF were ignorable compared to the CH4 emission in terms of the global warming potential （GWP）. Changing PF to RW or RR not only eliminated CH4 emissions in the non-rice season, but also substantially reduced the CH4 emission during the following rice-growing period （ca. 58%, P〈0.05）. However, this change in cultivation system substantially increased N2O emissions, especially in the non-rice season, by a factor of 3.7 to 4.5. On the 100-year horizon, the integrated GWP of total annual CH4 and N2O emissions satisfies PF〉〉RR≈RW. The GWP of PF is higher than that of RW and RR by a factor of 2.6 and 2.7, respectively. Of the total GWP of CH4 and N2O emissions, CH4 emission contributed to 93%, 65% and 59% in PF, RW and RR, respectively. These results suggest that changing PF to RW and RR can substantially reduce not only CH4 emission but also the total GWP of the CH4 and N2O emissions.

Correlation of Leaf and Root Senescence During Ripening in Dry Seeded and Transplanted Rice

Dry seeding is a resource-saving rice establishment method. With an equivalent yield, dry seeded flooded rice （DSR） has been considered as a replacement for traditional transplanted flooded rice （TFR）. However, the differences in leaf and root senescence during grain filling between DSR and TFR were seldom identified. In this study, the root length, root tip number and leaf senescence of rice varieties Huanghuazhan and Yangliangyou 6 during ripening were compared between DSR and TFR. Results showed that top three leaves in DSR had the characteristics of relatively lower SPAD value, lower N content and premature leaf senescence. In addition, both the total root length and total root tip number of DSR were significantly lower than those of TFR. In conclusion, premature and quick leaf senescence was related with inadequate root length and root tip number during ripening, which might result from the deficiency of nitrogen supply in DSR. Techniques on improving leaf nitrogen status and delaying the leaf senescence during grain-filling in DSR should be developed in future researches.

Ammonia Volatilization from Urea Applied to Acid Paddy Soil in Southern China and Its Control

Results showed that ammonia loss from urea broadcast into floodwater and incorporated into soil at transplanting was as high as 40% of applied N,and the corresponding total nitrogen (N) loss was 56%.Ammonia loss was measured with simplified micrometeorological method (ammonia sampler),and total N loss was concurrently measured using ^15N balance technique.The experiment was conducted under strong sunshine conditions on acid paddy soil derived from Quaternary red clay.The ammonia loss in this particular condition was much greater than those obtained from previous studies when urea was also applied to acid paddy soil but under cloudy conditions.It is concluded that the strong sunshine conditions with high temperature and shallow floodwater during the period of present experiment favoured ammonia volatilization.Application of stearyl alcohol on the surface of the floodwater reduced ammonia loss to 23% of applied N.However,the effect of stearyl alcohol was short-lived,probably due to the microbiological decomposition.

Gaseous Loss of Nitrogen from Fertilizers Applied to a Paddy Soil in Southeastern China

Total nitrogen (N) loss and ammonia volatilization from urea applied to flooded rice grown on a paddy soil in Zhejiang Province were measured by 15N balance and micro-meteorological methods, respectively. Floodwater properties and ammonia loss from the circular plot were compared with those from the microplots. And the effectiveness of urease inhibitor, NBPT [N-(n-butyl) thiophosphonc triamide], was also tested Results showed that the total losses from urea broadcast and incorporated at transplanting (basal dressing) were similar with those from urea broadcast 12 days after transplanting (top-dressing) (51.5% and 48%, respectively, of applied N), and ammonia losses were low, the corresponding figures were 10.8% and 7.0% of applied N, respectively. Thus, denitrification was a much more important pathway of nitrogen loss than ammonia volatilization under the particular conditions. Addition of NBPT retarded urea hydrolysis, reduced pHs and ammoniacal nitrogen concentrations of floodwater for either the application of urea as basal or as top-dressing, but these effects were not translated into the reduction of total nitrogen loss. Floodwater pHs and ammonia loss in the microplots were apparently lower than those in the circular plot from urea applied as basal dressing; however, such differences were not found when urea was top-dressed. The frequently raining days occurred after top-dressing may be responsible for the insignificant effect of plot size on floodwater pHs and ammonia volatilization. It seems that the effects of plot size on floodwater properties and ammonia loss mainly depend on weather conditions, in addition to the height and leaf area index of the crop.

Effect of different fertilizers on methane emission from a paddy field of Zhejiang, China

Methane emissions from Chinese paddy soil (Zhejiang Province) were measured over the rice growing seasons. Different fertilizers (organic and chemical) were applied, emissions of methane were high during two periods(5 days after peak tillering and 7 days after heading flowering stage) and significant effect of fertilizers was observed. Methanogenic activities in soils treated with organic manures were obviously higher than those with chemical fertilizers. Among the organic manured fields the maximum methane emission from green manure, biogas residue and beef manure treatment were 52, 20 and 19 times respectively of that given by control, and among chemical fertilizers it was NH\-4HCO\-3>CO(NH 2) 2>(NH 4) 2SO 4>NH 4Cl>NaNO 3 with 2\^4, 2, 1\^5,1\^3 and 0\^2 times respectively of that from control.