Dilemma of organic matter input to mitigate climate impact of rice paddies

Song, Hyeon Ji; Lee, Jin Ho; Hwang, Hyun Young; Jeong, Seung Tak; Canatoy, Ronley C.; Turner, Benjamin L.; Mishra, Umakant; Park, So Yeong; Kim, Pil Joo

doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2025.109873

Dilemma of organic matter input to mitigate climate impact of rice paddies

Journal Article · Tue Jun 03 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · Soil Biology and Biochemistry

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2025.109873· OSTI ID:2585556

Song, Hyeon Ji ^[1]; ^[1]; Hwang, Hyun Young ^[1]; Jeong, Seung Tak ^[1]; Canatoy, Ronley C. ^[1]; ^[1]; ^[2]; Park, So Yeong ^[1]; ^[3]

Gyeongsang National Univ., Jinju (Korea, Republic of)
Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States)
Gyeongsang National Univ., Jinju (Korea, Republic of); Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), Emeryville, CA (United States)

Soil can act as either a source or sink of atmospheric carbon (C). Organic matter application can sequester carbon dioxide (CO₂) through negative emission technologies. However, in rice paddies, organic matter application can significantly increase methane (CH₄) emissions, offsetting potential climate benefits. Here, we compared the effects of organic matter types on net climate impact by quantifying annual gaseous fluxes and soil C stock changes with CO₂ equivalents. All organic amendments increased CH₄ emissions (7–30 Mg CO₂-eq. ha⁻¹) compared with the no organic matter treatment (NPK). However, the increases in soil C stock (9–11 Mg CO₂-eq. ha⁻¹) were insufficient to shift the system from a net C source to a net sink, even when combined with water management strategies. In contrast, biochar increased CH₄ emissions but enhanced soil C stock, leading to a net negative emission effect without compromising rice productivity. Given that rice paddies account for about 11 % of anthropogenic CH₄ emissions, organic matter application requires careful evaluation to avoid exacerbating climatic impacts.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

Grant/Contract Number:: NA0003525

OSTI ID:: 2585556

Report Number(s):: SAND--2025-07238J; 1779700

Journal Information:: Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Journal Name: Soil Biology and Biochemistry Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 209; ISSN 0038-0717

Publisher:: Elsevier BVCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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