IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v296y2024ics0378377424001410.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The impact of global cropland irrigation on soil carbon dynamics

Author

Listed:
  • Yao, Xiaochen
  • Zhang, Zhiyu
  • Yuan, Fenghui
  • Song, Changchun

Abstract

Irrigation can increase crop yields and could be a key climate adaptation strategy. At present, under the background of increasing food demand and continuous expansion of irrigation cropland, there still uncertainties about the soil carbon dynamics under the change of irrigation water volume and irrigated area in view of large-scale spatial heterogeneity. Therefore, this paper uses space-for-time + meta-analysis and a two-step methodology based on the residual trend analysis to quantitatively analyze the relationship between soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil respiration (Rs) in response to fluctuations in irrigation water volume and irrigated land extents. Here we show that the irrigation water volume within 100–1000 mm had a negative impact on SOC, and the impact was correlated with the irrigation water volume. Different levels of irrigation water manifest distinct effects on SOC content across varying soil depths. When irrigation water quantities are less than 700 mm, the impact on SOC content in the 0–30 cm depth layer surpasses that in the 30–200 cm depth layer. Conversely, when irrigation water quantities equal or exceed 700 mm, this pattern is reversed. The overall impact of irrigation on SOC stock at a depth of 0–200 cm was −14.88±6.7%. Tillage, planting intensity, topography, and soil type within irrigated cropland all exert variable impacts on SOC content. Whether these influences are deleterious or beneficial hinges predominantly upon the balance between the augmentation of SOC stock due to heightened carbon inputs from crops and the reduction of SOC through alterations in microbial activity. Mann-Kendall trend analysis showed that from 2000 to 2015, the overall Rs of cropland showed an increasing trend, with an increase rate of 3.67 g/m2/year. The increase of global Rs is mainly driven by climate change factors (temperature, precipitation and solar radiation), while the decrease of Rs in a small number of areas is mainly driven by management practices (fertilizer nitrogen, irrigation, and tillage). Our study further quantifies the impact of irrigation on soil carbon dynamics, thereby offering potential pathways and data support for the advancement of sustainable agriculture.

Suggested Citation

  • Yao, Xiaochen & Zhang, Zhiyu & Yuan, Fenghui & Song, Changchun, 2024. "The impact of global cropland irrigation on soil carbon dynamics," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 296(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:296:y:2024:i:c:s0378377424001410
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2024.108806
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377424001410
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agwat.2024.108806?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nathaniel D. Mueller & Ethan E. Butler & Karen A. McKinnon & Andrew Rhines & Martin Tingley & N. Michele Holbrook & Peter Huybers, 2016. "Cooling of US Midwest summer temperature extremes from cropland intensification," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 6(3), pages 317-322, March.
    2. Wen, Yue & Wu, Xiaodi & Liu, Jian & Zhang, Jinzhu & Song, Libing & Zhu, Yan & Li, Wenhao & Wang, Zhenhua, 2023. "Effects of drip irrigation timing and water temperature on soil conditions, cotton phenological period, and fiber quality under plastic film mulching," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 287(C).
    3. Xu, Yueyue & Ma, Xiangcheng & Wang, Yingxin & Ali, Shahzad & Cai, Tie & Jia, Zhikuan, 2020. "Effects of ridge-furrow mulching system with supplementary irrigation on soil respiration in winter wheat fields under different rainfall conditions," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 239(C).
    4. Feng, Z.Y. & Qin, T. & Du, X.Z. & Sheng, F. & Li, C.F., 2021. "Effects of irrigation regime and rice variety on greenhouse gas emissions and grain yields from paddy fields in central China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 250(C).
    5. Mingming Wang & Xiaowei Guo & Shuai Zhang & Liujun Xiao & Umakant Mishra & Yuanhe Yang & Biao Zhu & Guocheng Wang & Xiali Mao & Tian Qian & Tong Jiang & Zhou Shi & Zhongkui Luo, 2022. "Global soil profiles indicate depth-dependent soil carbon losses under a warmer climate," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    6. Jiao, Jiaguo & Shi, Kun & Li, Peng & Sun, Zhen & Chang, Dali & Shen, Xueshan & Wu, Di & Song, Xiuchao & Liu, Manqiang & Li, Huixin & Hu, Feng & Xu, Li, 2018. "Assessing of an irrigation and fertilization practice for improving rice production in the Taihu Lake region (China)," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 201(C), pages 91-98.
    7. Wenhao Zhang & Guofeng Zhu & Qiaozhuo Wan & Siyu Lu & Ling Zhao & Dongdong Qiu & Xinrui Lin, 2023. "Influence of Irrigation on Vertical Migration of Soil Organic Carbon in Arid Area of Inland River," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-14, August.
    8. Nathaniel D. Mueller & James S. Gerber & Matt Johnston & Deepak K. Ray & Navin Ramankutty & Jonathan A. Foley, 2012. "Closing yield gaps through nutrient and water management," Nature, Nature, vol. 490(7419), pages 254-257, October.
    9. Ben Bond-Lamberty & Allison Thomson, 2010. "Temperature-associated increases in the global soil respiration record," Nature, Nature, vol. 464(7288), pages 579-582, March.
    10. Schmidt, Jennifer E. & Peterson, Caitlin & Wang, Daoyuan & Scow, Kate M. & Gaudin, Amélie C.M., 2018. "Agroecosystem tradeoffs associated with conversion to subsurface drip irrigation in organic systems," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 1-8.
    11. Li, Zichuan & Xu, Xinwang & Pan, Genxing & Smith, Pete & Cheng, Kun, 2016. "Irrigation regime affected SOC content rather than plow layer thickness of rice paddies: A county level survey from a river basin in lower Yangtze valley, China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 31-39.
    12. Bernhard Schauberger & Sotirios Archontoulis & Almut Arneth & Juraj Balkovic & Philippe Ciais & Delphine Deryng & Joshua Elliott & Christian Folberth & Nikolay Khabarov & Christoph Müller & Thomas A. , 2017. "Consistent negative response of US crops to high temperatures in observations and crop models," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-9, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yan, Zhenxing & Zhang, Wenying & Wang, Qingsuo & Liu, Enke & Sun, Dongbao & Liu, Binhui & Liu, Xiu & Mei, Xurong, 2022. "Changes in soil organic carbon stocks from reducing irrigation can be offset by applying organic fertilizer in the North China Plain," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    2. Laura C. Bowling & Keith A. Cherkauer & Charlotte I. Lee & Janna L. Beckerman & Sylvie Brouder & Jonathan R. Buzan & Otto C. Doering & Jeffrey S. Dukes & Paul D. Ebner & Jane R. Frankenberger & Benjam, 2020. "Agricultural impacts of climate change in Indiana and potential adaptations," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 163(4), pages 2005-2027, December.
    3. Yang, Meijian & Wang, Guiling, 2023. "Heat stress to jeopardize crop production in the US Corn Belt based on downscaled CMIP5 projections," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 211(C).
    4. Zhang, Yan & Qiang, Shengcai & Zhang, Guangxin & Sun, Min & Wen, Xiaoxia & Liao, Yuncheng & Gao, Zhiqiang, 2023. "Effects of ridge–furrow supplementary irrigation on water use efficiency and grain yield of winter wheat in Loess Plateau of China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).
    5. Lychuk, Taras E. & Hill, Robert L. & Izaurralde, Roberto C. & Momen, Bahram & Thomson, Allison M., 2021. "Evaluation of climate change impacts and effectiveness of adaptation options on nitrate loss, microbial respiration, and soil organic carbon in the Southeastern USA," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    6. Cao, Juan & Zhang, Zhao & Tao, Fulu & Chen, Yi & Luo, Xiangzhong & Xie, Jun, 2023. "Forecasting global crop yields based on El Nino Southern Oscillation early signals," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    7. Jeetendra Prakash Aryal & Tek B. Sapkota & Ritika Khurana & Arun Khatri-Chhetri & Dil Bahadur Rahut & M. L. Jat, 2020. "Climate change and agriculture in South Asia: adaptation options in smallholder production systems," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(6), pages 5045-5075, August.
    8. Westhoek, Henk & Ingram, John & van Berkum, Siemen & Hajer, Maarten, 2015. "The European food system and natural resources: Impacts and Options," 148th Seminar, November 30-December 1, 2015, The Hague, The Netherlands 229279, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    9. Giacomo Falchetta & Nicolò Stevanato & Magda Moner-Girona & Davide Mazzoni & Emanuela Colombo & Manfred Hafner, 2020. "M-LED: Multi-sectoral Latent Electricity Demand Assessment for Energy Access Planning," Working Papers 2020.09, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    10. Govind, Ajit & Chen, Jing Ming & Bernier, Pierre & Margolis, Hank & Guindon, Luc & Beaudoin, Andre, 2011. "Spatially distributed modeling of the long-term carbon balance of a boreal landscape," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 222(15), pages 2780-2795.
    11. Kathrin Stenchly & Marc Victor Hansen & Katharina Stein & Andreas Buerkert & Wilhelm Loewenstein, 2018. "Income Vulnerability of West African Farming Households to Losses in Pollination Services: A Case Study from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-12, November.
    12. Alan F. Hamlet & Kyuhyun Byun & Scott M. Robeson & Melissa Widhalm & Michael Baldwin, 2020. "Impacts of climate change on the state of Indiana: ensemble future projections based on statistical downscaling," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 163(4), pages 1881-1895, December.
    13. Singh, Kuntal & McClean, Colin J. & Büker, Patrick & Hartley, Sue E. & Hill, Jane K., 2017. "Mapping regional risks from climate change for rainfed rice cultivation in India," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 76-84.
    14. Thomas M. Koutsos & Georgios C. Menexes & Andreas P. Mamolos, 2021. "The Use of Crop Yield Autocorrelation Data as a Sustainable Approach to Adjust Agronomic Inputs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-17, February.
    15. Mr. Emmanuel Momolu Pope & Prof. Wilson Opile & Dr. Lucas Ngode & Dr. Chepkoech Emmy, 2023. "Assessment of Upland Rice Production Constraints and Farmers’ Preferred Varieties in Liberia," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 7(2), pages 1307-1322, February.
    16. Samuthirapandi Subburaj & Thiyagarajan Thulasinathan & Viswabharathy Sakthivel & Bharathi Ayyenar & Rohit Kambale & Veera Ranjani Rajagopalan & Sudha Manickam & Raghu Rajasekaran & Gopalakrishnan Chel, 2024. "Genetic Enhancement of Blast and Bacterial Leaf Blight Resistance in Rice Variety CO 51 through Marker-Assisted Selection," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-20, April.
    17. Donato Masciandaro & Riccardo Russo, 2022. "Central Banks and Climate Policy: Unpleasant Trade–Offs? A Principal–Agent Approach," BAFFI CAREFIN Working Papers 22181, BAFFI CAREFIN, Centre for Applied Research on International Markets Banking Finance and Regulation, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy.
    18. F. Jorge Bornemann & David P. Rowell & Barbara Evans & Dan J. Lapworth & Kamazima Lwiza & David M.J. Macdonald & John H. Marsham & Kindie Tesfaye & Matthew J. Ascott & Celia Way, 2019. "Future changes and uncertainty in decision-relevant measures of East African climate," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 156(3), pages 365-384, October.
    19. Purola, Tuomo & Lehtonen, Heikki, 2020. "Evaluating profitability of soil-renovation investments under crop rotation constraints in Finland," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    20. Zhenghu Zhou & Chengjie Ren & Chuankuan Wang & Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo & Yiqi Luo & Zhongkui Luo & Zhenggang Du & Biao Zhu & Yuanhe Yang & Shuo Jiao & Fazhu Zhao & Andong Cai & Gaihe Yang & Gehong We, 2024. "Global turnover of soil mineral-associated and particulate organic carbon," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:296:y:2024:i:c:s0378377424001410. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agwat .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.