Selection of suitable organic amendments to balance agricultural
economic benefit and carbon sequestration
Abstract
Long-term excessive use of fertilizers decreases soil productivity,
which is detrimental to sustainable agricultural development. The
purpose of this paper is to identify organic amendments suitable for
winter wheat growth in the North China Plain by studying the effects of
organic amendments on the economic benefit and carbon sequestration of
winter wheat fields, and to provide a theoretical basis for the wide
application of organic amendments. The nitrogen rates were N0 (0 kg/ha)
and N240 (240 kg/ha), and the organic amendments were straw, manure,
mushroom residue and biochar. The result showed that compared to N0,
N240 significantly increased the yield by 244.1%-318.4% and the
organic carbon sequestration by 16.7-30.5%, respectively, but increased
the carbon emission by 29.3-45.5%. In addition, soil carbon
sequestrations increased with three types of organic amendments compared
to straw, with the biochar treatment being the largest, increasing
carbon sequestration by 13.3-33.6%. In terms of yield and economic
benefits, compared to straw, manure and biochar increased yield by
0.0-1.5% and 4.0-13.3%, respectively, and mushroom residue slightly
decreased yield, but only the economic benefit of mushroom residue was
greater than that of straw, with an increase in economic benefit of
1.3% and 8.2% in the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, respectively.
Furthermore, Net ecosystem productivity showed that N0 and N240 was the
source and sink of CO 2, respectively. The TOPSIS
results showed that N240 with mushroom residue could be recommended for
increasing soil carbon sequestration and economic benefits for winter
wheat in the NCP. Low-cost mushroom residue can increase farmer
motivation and improve SOC, making a big step forward in the spread of
organic amendments.