Biochar Application Using Recycled Annual Self Straw Reduces Long-term Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Paddy Fields with Economic Benefits

Overview

Journal Nat Food

Specialties Environmental Health
Nutritional Sciences

Date 2025 Mar 13

PMID 40074921

Authors

Qiong Nan

Daan R Speth

Yong Qin

Wenchen Chi

Jana Milucka

Baojing Gu

Weixiang Wu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Paddy fields are major contributors to agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. Applying ~1% biochar by topsoil weight (high single, HS) effectively reduces greenhouse gas emissions from paddy fields, but long-term impacts are unclear. Here we present 8-year field experiments showing HS reduces CO equivalent per hectare by 59% and yields a net benefit of US$1,810 per hectare. However, its effectiveness declines over time due to the decreased soil carbon content and methanotrophic activity triggered by higher soil ammonium concentrations. To counteract this, the annual-low method, involving yearly biochar recycling, surpasses the HS approach with a 52% CO reduction and yields a net benefit of US$2,801 (35%) per hectare-highlighting the economic and environmental viability of annual-low biochar use in sustainable paddy field management practices.

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