Dataset Information

Can ratoon cropping improve resource use efficiencies and profitability of rice in central China?

ABSTRACT: Identifying cropping systems with small global warming potential (GWP) per unit of productivity is important to ensure food security while minimizing environmental footprint. During recent decades, double-season rice (DR) systems in central China have progressively shifted into single-crop, middle-season rice (MR) due to high costs and labor requirements of double-season rice. Ratoon rice (RR) has been proposed as an alternative system that reconciliates both high annual productivity and relatively low costs and labor requirements. Here we used on-farm data collected from 240 farmer fields planted with rice in 2016 to evaluate annual energy balance, environmental impact, and net profit of MR, DR, and RR cropping systems in central China. Energy factors, emission values, and commodity prices obtained from literature and official statistics were used to estimate energy balance, GWP, and economic profit. Average annual yield was 7.7, 15.3. and 13.2?Mg?ha-1 for MR, DR, and RR systems, respectively. Average total annual energy input (36?GJ?ha-1), GWP (9783?kg?ha-1), and production cost (3057 $?ha-1) of RR were 35-48% higher than those of MR. However, RR achieved 72-129% higher annual grain yield (13.2?Mg?ha-1), net energy yield (159?GJ?ha-1), and net economic return (2330 $?ha-1) than MR. Compared with DR, RR produced statistically similar net energy yield while doubling the net economic return, with 32-42% lower energy input, production costs, and GWP. Consequently, RR exhibited significantly higher net energy ratio and benefit-to-cost ratio, and substantially lower yield-scaled GWP than the other two cropping systems. In the context of DR being replaced by MR, our analysis indicated that RR can be a viable option to achieve both high annual productivity and large positive energy balance and profit, while reducing the environmental impact.

SUBMITTER: Yuan S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6472545 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Can ratoon cropping improve resource use efficiencies and profitability of rice in central China?

Yuan Shen S Cassman Kenneth G KG Huang Jianliang J Peng Shaobing S Grassini Patricio P

Field crops research 20190301

Identifying cropping systems with small global warming potential (GWP) per unit of productivity is important to ensure food security while minimizing environmental footprint. During recent decades, double-season rice (DR) systems in central China have progressively shifted into single-crop, middle-season rice (MR) due to high costs and labor requirements of double-season rice. Ratoon rice (RR) has been proposed as an alternative system that reconciliates both high annual productivity and relativ ...[more]

PMID: 31007365

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Project description:Synchronizing nitrogen (N) fertilization with planting date (PD) could enhance resource use efficiency and profitability of upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) production in Thailand. The objective of the study was to assess upland rice responses to four N fertilization rates (NFRs) and three planting dates. Field experiments were conducted during two growing seasons under four NFRs, no N applied (N0), 30 (N30), 60 (N60), and 90 kg N ha-1 (N90), and NFR were applied at the initiation of tillering and panicle emergence stages. The planting dates selected were early (PD1), intermedium (PD2), and late planting (PD3) between September and December of each season. The NFRs and planting dates had a significant influence on N uptake, N use efficiency (NUE), crop water productivity, yield and yield attributes, and profitability of upland rice production. A linear relationship among NFRs, agronomic traits of upland rice, N uptake, and crop water productivity was observed, and a significant seasonal effect was indicated. Fertilization at N90 under PD2 enhanced yields, yield attributes, and grain yields, as well as crop water productivity by 56 and 105% during the second and first seasons, respectively. Grain N, total N, and straw N were increased by 159, 159, and 160%, and by 90, 114, and 153%, during the first and second seasons, respectively. Enhanced N efficiencies, including agronomic efficiency, recovery efficiency, partial factor productivity, and N harvest index, at varying NFRs were observed under PD2 during both seasons. Highly significant (p < 0.001) and positive associations were observed among agronomic attributes, N uptake, NUE, and crop water productivity of upland rice in correlation assessment. Profitability from grain yields was observed with N fertilization and N90 resulted in maximum profit under all the PDs. However, the highest marginal benefit-cost ratio was observed at N60 under PD2 during both seasons. The results suggest that the NFR of 90 kg N ha-1 and planting at the end of September or start of October would enhance resource use efficiency and productivity, and maximize profitability. Furthermore, long-term field investigations with a range of NFRs and adopting forecasting measures to adjust the planting date for upland rice are recommended.

Project description:Diversification of smallholder rice-based cropping systems has the potential to increase cropping system intensity and boost food security. However, impacts on resource use efficiencies (e.g., nutrients, energy, and labor) remain poorly understood, highlighting the need to quantify synergies and trade-offs among different sustainability indicators under on-farm conditions. In southern coastal Bangladesh, aman season rice is characterized by low inputs and low productivity. We evaluated the farm-level impacts of cropping system intensification (adding irrigated boro season rice) and diversification (adding chili, groundnut, mungbean, or lathyrus) on seven performance indicators (rice equivalent yield, energy efficiency, partial nitrogen productivity, partial potassium productivity, partial greenhouse gas footprint, benefit-cost ratio, and hired labor energy productivity) based on a comprehensive survey of 501 households. Indicators were combined into a multi-criteria performance index, and their scope for improvement was calculated by comparing an individual farmer's performance to top-performing farmers (highest 20%). Results indicate that the baseline system (single-crop aman season rice) was the least productive, while double cropped systems increased rice equivalent yield 72-217%. Despite gains in productivity, higher cropping intensity reduced resource use efficiencies due to higher inputs of fertilizer and energy, which also increased production costs, particularly for boro season rice. However, trade-offs were smaller for diversified systems including legumes, largely owing to lower N fertilizer inputs. Aman season rice had the highest multi-criteria performance index, followed by systems with mungbean and lathyrus, indicating the latter are promising options to boost food production and profitability without compromising sustainability. Large gaps between individual and top-performing farmers existed for each indicator, suggesting significant scope for improvement. By targeting indicators contributing most to the multi-criteria performance index (partial nitrogen productivity, energy efficiency, hired labor energy productivity), results suggest further sustainability gains can be achieved through future field research studies focused on optimizing management within diversified systems.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13593-022-00795-3.

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Project description:The conventional double cropping system of winter wheat and summer maize (WW-SUM) in the North China Plain (NCP) consumes a large amount of water and chemical fertilizer, threatening the sustainable development of agriculture in this region. This study was based on a three-year field experiment of different cropping systems (2H1Y—two harvests in one year; 3H2Y—three harvests in two years; and 1H1Y—one harvest in one year). The 2H1Y system had three irrigation–fertilization practices (FP—farmer’s practice; RI—reduced input; and WQ—Wuqiao pattern in Wuqiao County, Hebei Province). A soil–crop system model (WHCNS—soil water heat carbon nitrogen simulator) was used to quantify the effects of different cropping systems on water and nitrogen use efficiencies (WUE and NUE, respectively), and to explore the trade-offs between crop yields and environmental impacts. The results showed that annual yield, water consumption, and the WUE of 2H1Y were higher than those of the 3H2Y and 1H1Y systems. However, local precipitation during the period of crop growth could only meet 65%, 76%, and 91% of total water consumption for the 2H1Y, 3H2Y and 1H1Y systems, respectively. Nearly 65% of irrigation water (groundwater) was used in the period of wheat growth that contributed to almost 40% of the annual yield. Among the three patterns of the 2H1Y system, the order of the WUE was 2H1Y_RI > 2H1Y_WQ > 2H1Y_FP. Compared to 2H1Y_FP, the total fertilizer N application rates in 2H1Y_WQ, 2H1Y_RI, and 3H2Y were reduced by 25%, 65%, and 74%, respectively. The 3H2Y system had the highest NUE of 34.3 kg kg−1, 54% greater than the 2H1Y_FP system (22.2 kg kg−1). Moreover, the 3H2Y system obviously reduced nitrate leaching and gaseous N loss when compared with the other two systems. The order of total N loss of different cropping systems was 2H1Y (261 kg N ha−1) > 1H1Y (78 kg N ha−1) > 3H2Y (70 kg N ha−1). Considering the agronomic and environmental effects as well as economic benefits, the 3H2Y cropping system with optimal irrigation and fertilization would be a promising cropping system in the NCP that could achieve the balance between crop yield and the sustainable use of groundwater and N fertilizer.

Dataset Information

Can ratoon cropping improve resource use efficiencies and profitability of rice in central China?

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Can ratoon cropping improve resource use efficiencies and profitability of rice in central China?

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