Effects of Water and Fertilizer Management Practices on Methane Emissions from Paddy Soils: Synthesis and Perspective

Abstract

Water and fertilizer management practices are considered to have great influence on soil methane (CH4) emissions from paddy fields. However, few studies have conducted a quantitative analysis of the effects of these management practices. Here, we selected 156 observations of water management from 34 articles and 288 observations of fertilizer management from 37 articles and conducted a global meta-analysis of the effects of water and fertilizer management practices on soil CH4 emissions in paddy fields. In general, compared with traditional irrigation (long-term flooding irrigation), water-saving irrigation significantly decreased soil CH4 emissions but increased rice yield. Among the different practices, intermittent irrigation had the fewest reductions in CH4 emissions but the greatest increase in rice yield. In addition, fertilization management practices such as manure, mixed fertilizer (mixture), and straw significantly enhanced CH4 emissions. Rice yields were increased under fertilization with a mixture, traditional fertilizer, and controlled release fertilizer. Our results highlight that suitable agricultural water and fertilizer management practices are needed to effectively reduce CH4 emissions while maintaining rice yields. We also put forward some prospects for mitigating soil CH4 emissions from paddy fields in the context of global warming in the future.