Maximizing Grains While Minimizing Yield-Scaled Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Wheat Production in China
Qi Miao,
Yixiang Sun,
Wenqi Ma,
Guiliang Wang,
Liang Wu,
Xinping Chen,
Xingshuai Tian,
Yulong Yin,
Qingsong Zhang,
Zhenling Cui
Affiliations
Qi Miao
State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Yixiang Sun
Institute of Soil and Fertilizer, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
Wenqi Ma
College of Resources and Environmental Science, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
Guiliang Wang
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Liang Wu
Key Laboratory of Crop Specific Fertilizer, Ministry of Agriculture and Rual Affairs, Xinyangfeng Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., Jingmen 448001, China
Xinping Chen
College of Resources and Environment, and Academy of Agricultural Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Xingshuai Tian
State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Yulong Yin
State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Qingsong Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Zhenling Cui
State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Researchers have previously described the response of crop productivity and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to fertilizer nitrogen (N) additions, but they have not determined how to maximize yields while minimizing GHG emissions. We conducted an experiment at 2293 sites with four N levels to simulate both grain yield and yield-scaled GHG emissions in response to the N addition. The yield-scaled GHG emissions decreased by 16% as the N rate increased from treatments without the N addition to the minimum yield-scaled GHG emissions, which was comparable to the values associated with the maximum grain yields. The sites with both high soil productivity and high crop productivity had the highest yield and lowest yield-scaled GHG emissions, with 43% higher yield and 38% lower yield-scaled GHG emissions than sites with low soil and low crop productivity. These findings are expected to enhance evaluations of wheat production and GHG emissions in China, and thereby contribute to addressing disparities in the global food and GHG budget.
