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Agronomy
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Net-Zero Emissions for Sustainable Food Production and Land Management
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Net-Zero Emissions for Sustainable Food Production and Land Management

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Farming Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 5934

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Zhengqin Xiong

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Interests: carbon footprint; nitrogen footprint; reactive nitrogen; greenhouse gases; nitrous oxide; greenhouse gas intensity; carbon budget; biochar; nitrogen use efficiency
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Jianying Shang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Yuanmingyuan West Road, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: biochar; carbon sequestration; soil colloid; colloid fate and transport

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, more and more industries and companies are pledging to become carbon neutral, net-zero or even carbon negative to combat global climate changes. Net-zero emissions balance the total amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) released and the amount removed from the atmosphere, and serve as the core of carbon neutrality. How is it possible to achieve net-zero emissions for sustainable food production or land management while ensuring our food security and humanity’s welfare? Future sustainable agriculture should explore systems with low net GHG emissions and GHG intensities at high crop productivity and low environmental damage costs. Research and reviews on greenhouse gas emissions and mitigations, life cycle assessments and net ecosystem economic benefits are invited for submission to this Special Issue in order to foster a better understanding of this issue among scientists and policy makers.

Prof. Dr. Zhengqin Xiong
Prof. Dr. Jianying Shang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • carbon footprint
  • greenhouse gases
  • greenhouse gas intensity
  • carbon budget
  • biochar
  • carbon sequestration
  • net ecosystem economic benefit
  • profile carbon storage

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1683 KiB  
Article
Biochar Is Superior to Organic Substitution for Vegetable Production—A Revised Approach for Net Ecosystem Economic Benefit
by Ruiyu Bi, Bingxue Wang, Xintong Xu, Yubing Dong, Ying Jiao and Zhengqin Xiong
Agronomy 2024, 14(11), 2693; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14112693 - 15 Nov 2024
Viewed by 477
Abstract
Biochar amendment and substituting chemical fertilizers with organic manure (organic substitution) have been widely reported to improve intensive vegetable production. However, considering its high potential for reducing carbon and reactive nitrogen (Nr) footprints, very few comprehensive evaluations have been performed on the environmental [...] Read more.
Biochar amendment and substituting chemical fertilizers with organic manure (organic substitution) have been widely reported to improve intensive vegetable production. However, considering its high potential for reducing carbon and reactive nitrogen (Nr) footprints, very few comprehensive evaluations have been performed on the environmental and economic aspects of biochar amendment or organic substitution. In this study, the comprehensive environmental damage costs from carbon and Nr footprints, measured using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, followed a cradle-to-gate approach, and the carbon storage benefits were incorporated into the newly constructed net ecosystem economic benefit (NEEB) assessment frame in addition to the conventional product income–input cost-benefit methods. One kilogram of harvested vegetables for carbon/Nr footprints and one hectare of cultivated land per crop for cost and benefit were adopted as functional units considering the multi-cropping characteristics for intensive vegetable production. Five fertilization treatments were included: no fertilizer (CK); synthetic fertilizer application (SN); biochar amendment (NB); organic substitution (NM); and a combination of biochar and organic substitution (NMB). These were investigated for five consecutive years of vegetable crop rotations in a typically intensified vegetable production region in China. Adopting the revised NEEB methodology, NB significantly reduced carbon footprint by 73.0% compared to no biochar addition treatment. Meanwhile, NB significantly increased the total benefits by 9.7% and reduced the environmental damages by 52.7% compared to NM, generating the highest NEEB, making it the most effective fertilization strategy among all treatments. It was 4.3% higher compared to NM, which was not significant, but significantly higher than SN and NMB, by 23.0% and 13.6%, respectively. This finding highlights the importance of considering carbon storage benefit for properly assessing NEEB, which is important for developing effective agricultural management strategies and promoting intensive vegetable production with a more sustainable approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Net-Zero Emissions for Sustainable Food Production and Land Management)
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17 pages, 4051 KiB  
Article
Microplastics Can Inhibit Organic Carbon Mineralization by Influencing Soil Aggregate Distribution and Microbial Community Structure in Cultivated Soil: Evidence from a One-Year Pot Experiment
by Zonghai Chen, Quan Wan, Pengyu Zhou, Haochen Li, Yige Liu, Ying Lu and Bo Li
Agronomy 2024, 14(9), 2114; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14092114 - 17 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1022
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) pollution has become a global pollution problem, potentially affecting soil carbon cycling and structure stability in agricultural systems. However, the effects of MPs pollution on soil organic carbon fractions/transformation and soil aggregate stability remain unknown. Thus, a combination of one-year pot [...] Read more.
Microplastics (MPs) pollution has become a global pollution problem, potentially affecting soil carbon cycling and structure stability in agricultural systems. However, the effects of MPs pollution on soil organic carbon fractions/transformation and soil aggregate stability remain unknown. Thus, a combination of one-year pot and short-term mineralized incubation experiments that involved a reference (CK, with no MPs), different concentrations (0.1, 1, and 2 w/w % polyethylene (PE)), and types (0.1 w/w % PE, polypropylene (PP), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC)) of MPs were carried out to investigate the effects on the soil aggregate stability and organic carbon mineralization after one year of adding MPs. The results showed that the size distribution of the soil partial aggregates varied significantly as affected by the MP concentration and type (p ˂ 0.05). Compared with 0.1% PE, significant increases in the MWD (mean weight diameter) and GMD (geometric mean diameter) of 2% PE of 27.22% and 32.73%, respectively, were detected. In addition, high concentrations (>1%) of PE significantly decreased the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) (p ˂ 0.05), whereas they significantly increased the stable carbon fractions including the particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral-bound organic carbon (MOC) (p ˂ 0.01). Meanwhile, compared with the CK, both MP types and doses significantly decreased the soil organic carbon mineralization rate (SOCMR) and cumulative mineralization amount (CM) (p ˂ 0.001). Moreover, the MPs significantly increased the total PLFA (phospholipid fatty acid) by 261.9–438.8% (p ˂ 0.01), and the soil pH and total PLFA were the dominant factors that affected the SOCMR as affected by MPs. Thus, a high concentration (>1%) of PE significantly decreased the SOCMR by influencing the soil pH, TN, and macroaggregate (R>0.25) content and microbial community composition. This study provided evidence of the feedback of MPs pollution on soil C dynamic and aggregates in cultivated soil in South China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Net-Zero Emissions for Sustainable Food Production and Land Management)
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17 pages, 1707 KiB  
Article
Physiological and Biochemical Responses of Maize to Elevated CO2 Concentrations: Implications for Growth and Metabolism
by Pirzada Khan, Fardous Mohammad Safiul Azam, Tong Lian, Ashraf M. M. Abdelbacki, Mohammed Albaqami, Rahmatullah Jan, Kyung-Min Kim and Weixuan Wang
Agronomy 2024, 14(8), 1751; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14081751 - 9 Aug 2024
Viewed by 823
Abstract
Rising atmospheric CO2 levels, a significant consequence of anthropogenic activities, profoundly impact global agriculture and food security by altering plant physiological processes. Despite extensive research, a comprehensive understanding of the specific effects of elevated CO2 on maize (Zea mays L.)’s [...] Read more.
Rising atmospheric CO2 levels, a significant consequence of anthropogenic activities, profoundly impact global agriculture and food security by altering plant physiological processes. Despite extensive research, a comprehensive understanding of the specific effects of elevated CO2 on maize (Zea mays L.)’s primary and secondary metabolism remains elusive. This study investigated the responses of maize seedlings cultivated in open-top chambers (OTCs) under three CO2 concentrations: ambient (380 ppm), elevated (600 ppm), and high (1800 ppm). Key growth parameters, including plant height, leaf area, and aboveground biomass (leaf and stem), were assessed alongside metabolic profiles encompassing nonstructural and structural carbohydrates, syringyl (S) and guaiacyl lignin, the syringyl-to-guaiacyl (S/G)-lignin ratio, photosynthetic pigments, total soluble protein, and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. The results demonstrated that exposure to 600 ppm CO2 significantly enhanced plant height, leaf area, and aboveground biomass compared to ambient conditions. Concurrently, there were notable increases in the concentrations of primary metabolites. In contrast, exposure to 1800 ppm CO2 severely inhibited these growth parameters and induced reductions in secondary metabolites, such as chlorophyll and soluble proteins, throughout the growth stages. The findings underscore the intricate responses of maize metabolism to varying CO2 levels, highlighting adaptive strategies in primary and secondary metabolism under changing atmospheric conditions. This research contributes to a nuanced understanding of maize’s physiological adaptations to future climate scenarios characterized by elevated CO2, with implications for sustainable agriculture and food security. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Net-Zero Emissions for Sustainable Food Production and Land Management)
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13 pages, 1259 KiB  
Article
Balancing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Yield through Rotational Tillage in the Cold Rice-Growing Region
by Wenjun Dong, Ao Tang, Jun Zhang, Youhong Liu, Ying Meng, Xijuan Zhang, Lizhi Wang and Zhongliang Yang
Agronomy 2024, 14(7), 1476; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14071476 - 8 Jul 2024
Viewed by 861
Abstract
Tillage practices are of critical importance in maintaining soil quality on cropland and for food production, with rice cultivation representing a significant portion of the world’s food production and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While numerous studies have examined the effects of reduced and [...] Read more.
Tillage practices are of critical importance in maintaining soil quality on cropland and for food production, with rice cultivation representing a significant portion of the world’s food production and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While numerous studies have examined the effects of reduced and no-tillage on soil GHG emissions and rice yields, the impact of adopting a rotational approach to tillage practices on the rice cultivation cycle remains uncertain. In this study, we conducted a four-year (2017–2020) field experiment in a single rice-growing area in Northeast China with the aim of investigating the effects of different tillage practices on GHG emissions from paddy fields and rice yields under full straw return conditions. We set up three experimental treatments: rotary tillage, plowing, and rotational tillage (i.e., a combination of one year of plowing and one year of rotary tillage). The results showed that averaged across all treatments, average methane (CH4, 302.6 ± 51.1 kg ha−1) and nitrous oxide (N2O, 0.86 ± 0.361 kg ha−1) emissions and rice yield (9.0 ± 0.9 t ha−1) did not exhibit significant inter-annual variability during the entire experimental period and were comparable to the average for the region. The ranking of GHG emissions during the rice-growing season was as follows: rotary tillage > plowing > rotational tillage. Across the experimental period, CH4 and N2O emissions were 9.1% and 8.5% lower in the plowing treatment and 21.2% and 13.1% lower in the rotational tillage treatment compared to the rotary tillage treatment. During the experimental period, there was no significant effect of tillage treatments on rice yield. This reduction in emissions may be attributed to changes in soil penetration resistance. In the rotational and plowing treatments, soil penetration resistance was in a range more adapted to rice growth and GHG emissions reduction compared to the rotary tillage treatment. The yield-scale GHG emission intensity was reduced by 12.7% and 26.1% in the plowing and rotational tillage treatments, respectively, in comparison to the rotary tillage treatment. This suggests that rotational tillage is a management practice that can achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions in paddy fields and stabilize or possibly increase rice yields. Consequently, the results demonstrated that a rotational alternation of multiple tillage practices is a synergistic strategy for achieving low carbon and high yield in rice in the cold rice-growing region of Northeast China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Net-Zero Emissions for Sustainable Food Production and Land Management)
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19 pages, 4010 KiB  
Article
Impacts of High-Frequency Chicken Manure Biochar Application on N2O and CH4 Emissions from Vegetable Field in Subtropical China
by Mohammad Jawad Alami, Xuejuan Fang, Dongliang Zhong, Weijun Zhou, Bing Gao, Wei Huang and Shenghui Cui
Agronomy 2024, 14(5), 926; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14050926 - 28 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1107
Abstract
Vegetable production in Subtropical China is distinguished by excessive nitrogen (N) fertilization, frequent irrigation, and multiple crop rotations in a single year. The aforementioned variables are closely related to soil nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) emissions. Hence, we [...] Read more.
Vegetable production in Subtropical China is distinguished by excessive nitrogen (N) fertilization, frequent irrigation, and multiple crop rotations in a single year. The aforementioned variables are closely related to soil nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) emissions. Hence, we conducted a field trial to measure N2O and CH4 emissions using static chamber–gas chromatograph. Four treatments were used: control (CK) with no fertilizer, 100% chemical N fertilization (CN), the conventional 30% chicken manure N plus 70%CN (CMN + CN), and 30% chicken manure biochar N plus 70%CN (CMBN + CN). The annual cumulative N2O emissions reached 12.4, 63.5, 111.8, and 44.1 kg N2O-N ha−1 for the CK, CN, CMN + CN, and CMBN + CN treatments, respectively. Compared to the CN and CMN + CN treatments, the CMBN + CN treatment reduced N2O emissions by 35.9%–65.7%, while it simultaneously increased the total vegetable yield by 16.1% compared to the CN treatment. Seven seasons mean N2O emission factors are 1.3% for CN, 3.8% for CMN + CN, and 0.9% for CMBN + CN. The CH4 emission was negligible, ranging from 0.07 kg CH4-C ha−1 for the CK treatment to 0.8 kg CH4-C ha−1 for the CN treatment. N2O emissions peaked under the conditions of an interior chamber temperature of around 31.9 °C and the water-filled pore space (WFPS) of the soil being approximately 60%. Future climate change will intensify, triggering higher N2O emissions from subtropical vegetable fields. CMB can be one of the best substitutes for direct chicken manure application as a soil supplement because it has a beneficial effect on improving vegetable yield and reducing N2O emissions in Subtropical China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Net-Zero Emissions for Sustainable Food Production and Land Management)
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16 pages, 5236 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Best Management Practices for Reducing Phosphorus Load in a Watershed in Terms of Cost and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
by Dae Seong Jeong, Joon Ha Kim, Jin Hwi Kim and Yongeun Park
Agronomy 2024, 14(5), 906; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14050906 - 26 Apr 2024
Viewed by 942
Abstract
Effective management of water quality in watersheds is crucial because it is directly linked to the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems. In conventional watershed management, best management practices (BMPs) have been instrumental in addressing deteriorating water quality issues caused by non-point source pollution. Greenhouse [...] Read more.
Effective management of water quality in watersheds is crucial because it is directly linked to the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems. In conventional watershed management, best management practices (BMPs) have been instrumental in addressing deteriorating water quality issues caused by non-point source pollution. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have emerged as a global concern, necessitating immediate and diverse environmental actions to mitigate their impacts. This study aims to explore BMPs that maximize total phosphorus (TP) load removal efficiencies, while minimizing costs and GHG emissions within watersheds, using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm III (NSGA-III). The Yeongsan River Watershed between 2012 and 2021 was selected as the study area. Hydrological and BMP data were analyzed. Applying identical BMPs to the watershed showed that the BMPs with high TP removal efficiency may not be effective in terms of cost and GHG emissions. Therefore, the optimal combination of BMPs for the Yeongsan River Watershed was determined using NSGA-III considering TP removal efficiency, cost, and GHG emissions. This study is the first to consider GHG emissions at the watershed level when applying BMPs and is expected to contribute to the development of BMP implementation incorporating GHG emissions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Net-Zero Emissions for Sustainable Food Production and Land Management)
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