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Elevated CO2 concentrations increase carbon sinks in paddy fields: an in situ four-year field experiment

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Abstract

Rice paddies play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle by sequestering or releasing carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. However, the effects of net CO2 exchange in paddy fields under elevated CO2 concentrations (e[CO2]) have rarely been assessed in previous literature. In this study, a four-year field experiment (2018‒2021) was conducted to understand the effects of e[CO2] on the CO2 flux in paddy fields. The experimental treatments included environmental [CO2] (CK) and 200 µmol mol–1 above the environmental [CO2] (T). A static chamber and a laser greenhouse gas analyzer were used to measure the net CO2 uptake and ecosystem respiration. Moreover, the relationships between CO2 flux and environmental variables, plants, and soil factors were analyzed during the rice-growing season. The results showed that the T treatment did not change the diurnal and seasonal dynamics of CO2 flux in paddy fields compared with CK. However, T treatment significantly promoted net CO2 uptake, where the seasonal cumulative amount of net CO2 exchange (CAC) of the T treatment was 1.13‒1.25 times that of CK treatment over the four-year rice growth period. Net CO2 exchange was significantly correlated with photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), relative humidity, air temperature (Ta), soil temperature, and soil water content, and path analysis indicated that net CO2 exchange variations were mainly controlled by PAR and Ta. Furthermore, e[CO2] increased CH4–C/CO2-C over the four rice-growing seasons. Overall, our findings revealed that e[CO2] had a positive impact on net CO2 exchange, enhanced the capability of paddy fields as a net carbon sink, and also promoted carbon emission to the atmosphere in the form of CH4 from paddy fields.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42071023; 41775152), the Special Technology Innovation Fund of Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality in Jiangsu Province (BE2022312), and the Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (KYCX21_0963).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, School of Applied Meteorology, Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, Nan**g University of Information Science and Technology, Nan**g, 210044, China

    Zhurong Wu, Zhenghua Hu, Nan Yin, Zhaowei Wei, Qi Li & Shutao Chen

  2. School of Life Science, Huaiyin Normal University, Huaian, 223001, China

    Yuanyuan Wang

  3. School of Environmental Engineering, Nan**g Polytechnic Institute, Nan**g, 210048, China

    Chao Liu

  4. Department of Disaster Management, Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, 5400, Bangladesh

    A. R. M. Towfiqul Islam

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  1. Zhurong Wu
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  4. Zhenghua Hu
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  8. Qi Li
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Contributions

ZHH and ST Chen designed the experiments. ZRW, YYW, CL, NY and ZWW performed the experiments. ZRW, YYW, CL and ZHH analyzed data. ZRW and CL wrote original draft, ZH Hu, ARM Towfiqul Islam and QL revised the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Zhenghua Hu.

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Zhurong Wu and Chao Liu have contributed equally to this work.

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Wu, Z., Wang, Y., Liu, C. et al. Elevated CO2 concentrations increase carbon sinks in paddy fields: an in situ four-year field experiment. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 127, 299–315 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-023-10308-7

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