Toward Low-Emission Agriculture: Synergistic Contribution of Inorganic Nitrogen and Organic Fertilizers to GHG Emissions and Strategies for Mitigation
Nitrogen (N) and organic-source fertilizers in agriculture are important to sustain crop production for feeding the growing global population. However, their use can result in significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), methane (CH<sub>...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Plants |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/10/1551 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850126901720383488 |
|---|---|
| author | Shahzad Haider Jiajie Song Jinze Bai Xing Wang Guangxin Ren Yuxin Bai Yuming Huang Tahir Shah Yongzhong Feng |
| author_facet | Shahzad Haider Jiajie Song Jinze Bai Xing Wang Guangxin Ren Yuxin Bai Yuming Huang Tahir Shah Yongzhong Feng |
| author_sort | Shahzad Haider |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Nitrogen (N) and organic-source fertilizers in agriculture are important to sustain crop production for feeding the growing global population. However, their use can result in significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), methane (CH<sub>4</sub>), and nitrous oxide (N<sub>2</sub>O), which are important climate drivers. This review discusses the interactive effects, uncovering both additive and suppressive outcomes of emissions under various soil and climatic conditions. In addition to examining the effects of nitrogen and the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), it is crucial to comprehend the mechanisms and contributions of organic fertilizers to GHG emissions. This understanding is vital for developing mitigation strategies that effectively reduce emissions while maintaining agricultural productivity. In this review, the current knowledge is utilized for the management of nitrogen practices, such as the optimization of fertilization rates, timing, and methods of application, in terms of the nitrogen use efficiency and the related GHG emissions. Moreover, we discuss the role of organic fertilizers, including straw, manure, and biochar, as a mitigation strategy in relation to GHG emissions through soil carbon sequestration and enhanced nutrient cycling. Important strategies such as crop rotation, tillage, irrigation, organic fertilizers, and legume crops are considered as suitable approaches for minimizing emissions. Even with the progress made in mitigating fertilizer-related emissions, research gaps remain, specifically concerning the long-term effect of organic fertilizers and the interactions between microbial communities in the soil and fertilization practices. Furthermore, the differences in application practices and environmental conditions present considerable obstacles to accurate emission quantification. This review underlines the importance of conducting more thorough research on the combined application of N and organic fertilizers in multiple cropping systems to evolve region-specific mitigation strategies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-645a3766e2fe4a0fb3c5cc2aee57f7cf |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj-art-645a3766e2fe4a0fb3c5cc2aee57f7cf2025-08-20T02:33:48ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-05-011410155110.3390/plants14101551Toward Low-Emission Agriculture: Synergistic Contribution of Inorganic Nitrogen and Organic Fertilizers to GHG Emissions and Strategies for MitigationShahzad Haider0Jiajie Song1Jinze Bai2Xing Wang3Guangxin Ren4Yuxin Bai5Yuming Huang6Tahir Shah7Yongzhong Feng8College of Agronomy, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, ChinaCollege of Agronomy, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, ChinaCollege of Agronomy, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, ChinaCollege of Agronomy, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, ChinaCollege of Agronomy, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, ChinaCollege of Agronomy, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, ChinaCollege of Agronomy, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, ChinaCollege of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, ChinaCollege of Agronomy, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, ChinaNitrogen (N) and organic-source fertilizers in agriculture are important to sustain crop production for feeding the growing global population. However, their use can result in significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>), methane (CH<sub>4</sub>), and nitrous oxide (N<sub>2</sub>O), which are important climate drivers. This review discusses the interactive effects, uncovering both additive and suppressive outcomes of emissions under various soil and climatic conditions. In addition to examining the effects of nitrogen and the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), it is crucial to comprehend the mechanisms and contributions of organic fertilizers to GHG emissions. This understanding is vital for developing mitigation strategies that effectively reduce emissions while maintaining agricultural productivity. In this review, the current knowledge is utilized for the management of nitrogen practices, such as the optimization of fertilization rates, timing, and methods of application, in terms of the nitrogen use efficiency and the related GHG emissions. Moreover, we discuss the role of organic fertilizers, including straw, manure, and biochar, as a mitigation strategy in relation to GHG emissions through soil carbon sequestration and enhanced nutrient cycling. Important strategies such as crop rotation, tillage, irrigation, organic fertilizers, and legume crops are considered as suitable approaches for minimizing emissions. Even with the progress made in mitigating fertilizer-related emissions, research gaps remain, specifically concerning the long-term effect of organic fertilizers and the interactions between microbial communities in the soil and fertilization practices. Furthermore, the differences in application practices and environmental conditions present considerable obstacles to accurate emission quantification. This review underlines the importance of conducting more thorough research on the combined application of N and organic fertilizers in multiple cropping systems to evolve region-specific mitigation strategies.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/10/1551inorganic fertilizerorganic fertilizerGHG emissionsCO<sub>2</sub>CH<sub>4</sub>N<sub>2</sub>O |
| spellingShingle | Shahzad Haider Jiajie Song Jinze Bai Xing Wang Guangxin Ren Yuxin Bai Yuming Huang Tahir Shah Yongzhong Feng Toward Low-Emission Agriculture: Synergistic Contribution of Inorganic Nitrogen and Organic Fertilizers to GHG Emissions and Strategies for Mitigation Plants inorganic fertilizer organic fertilizer GHG emissions CO<sub>2</sub> CH<sub>4</sub> N<sub>2</sub>O |
| title | Toward Low-Emission Agriculture: Synergistic Contribution of Inorganic Nitrogen and Organic Fertilizers to GHG Emissions and Strategies for Mitigation |
| title_full | Toward Low-Emission Agriculture: Synergistic Contribution of Inorganic Nitrogen and Organic Fertilizers to GHG Emissions and Strategies for Mitigation |
| title_fullStr | Toward Low-Emission Agriculture: Synergistic Contribution of Inorganic Nitrogen and Organic Fertilizers to GHG Emissions and Strategies for Mitigation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Toward Low-Emission Agriculture: Synergistic Contribution of Inorganic Nitrogen and Organic Fertilizers to GHG Emissions and Strategies for Mitigation |
| title_short | Toward Low-Emission Agriculture: Synergistic Contribution of Inorganic Nitrogen and Organic Fertilizers to GHG Emissions and Strategies for Mitigation |
| title_sort | toward low emission agriculture synergistic contribution of inorganic nitrogen and organic fertilizers to ghg emissions and strategies for mitigation |
| topic | inorganic fertilizer organic fertilizer GHG emissions CO<sub>2</sub> CH<sub>4</sub> N<sub>2</sub>O |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/10/1551 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT shahzadhaider towardlowemissionagriculturesynergisticcontributionofinorganicnitrogenandorganicfertilizerstoghgemissionsandstrategiesformitigation AT jiajiesong towardlowemissionagriculturesynergisticcontributionofinorganicnitrogenandorganicfertilizerstoghgemissionsandstrategiesformitigation AT jinzebai towardlowemissionagriculturesynergisticcontributionofinorganicnitrogenandorganicfertilizerstoghgemissionsandstrategiesformitigation AT xingwang towardlowemissionagriculturesynergisticcontributionofinorganicnitrogenandorganicfertilizerstoghgemissionsandstrategiesformitigation AT guangxinren towardlowemissionagriculturesynergisticcontributionofinorganicnitrogenandorganicfertilizerstoghgemissionsandstrategiesformitigation AT yuxinbai towardlowemissionagriculturesynergisticcontributionofinorganicnitrogenandorganicfertilizerstoghgemissionsandstrategiesformitigation AT yuminghuang towardlowemissionagriculturesynergisticcontributionofinorganicnitrogenandorganicfertilizerstoghgemissionsandstrategiesformitigation AT tahirshah towardlowemissionagriculturesynergisticcontributionofinorganicnitrogenandorganicfertilizerstoghgemissionsandstrategiesformitigation AT yongzhongfeng towardlowemissionagriculturesynergisticcontributionofinorganicnitrogenandorganicfertilizerstoghgemissionsandstrategiesformitigation |