Effects of organic fertilizer on net global warming potential under an intensively managed vegetable field in southeastern China: A three-year field study

Organic fertilizer may not only improve soil quality but may also contribute to climate protection by increasing carbon sequestration in agricultural ecosystems. A 3-yr study was conducted with ten consecutive vegetable crops in intensively managed vegetable cropping systems in southeastern China to examine the effects of organic fertilizer application (ORGA) on net global warming potential (net GWP) after accounting for carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from all sources including methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, agrochemical inputs and farm operations and sinks (i.e., soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration derived from the net ecosystem carbon budget). Results indicated that ORGA significantly increased ecosystem respiration by 13.9% without obvious effects on CH4 and N2O emissions as compared to local conventional chemical fertilization (CHEM). The SOC sequestration rates during the 3-year observation period were estimated at −0.52 t C ha−1 for the control, −0.42 t C ha−1 for the CHEM plot and 0.27 t C ha−1 for the ORGA plot, respectively, and thus contributed significantly to the net GWP. Overall, compared with CHEM, the ORGA significantly decreased net GWP and greenhouse gas intensity by 15.3% and 27.4%, respectively. Our findings suggest that higher yields and lower greenhouse gas intensities and carbon costs can be achieved by substituting chemical nitrogen fertilizers with organic fertilization strategies.