Global warming potential from maize and maize-soybean as affected by nitrogen fertilizer and cropping practices in the North China Plain

Nitrogen fertilizer is required to meet grain targets, but the fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions resulting from its use are a barrier to achieve low C agriculture. The objective of this study is to evaluate the net global warming potential (GWP) of maize and soybean monoculture and maize-soybean intercrop systems with an ecosystem-level C budget and determine the optimal N fertilizer requirement of maize-soybean intercrop based on the GWP in CO2-eq during cropping season. The field experiment had five treatments: maize and soybean monoculture receiving 240 kg N ha(-1) and maize-soybean intercrop receiving 120, 180 and 240 kg N ha(-1) for three years (2012, 2013, and 2014). Considering greenhouse gas (GHG: CO2, CH4 and N2O) emissions from the field plots, indirect GHG emissions from agricultural inputs (e.g., fertilizer, diesel and pesticides) and CO2 fixation by crops, soybean monoculture was the net C source due to its lower net primary production, while all maize monoculture and intercrop treatments were net C sinks except for the maize-soybean intercrop receiving 240 kg N ha(-1) in 2013. Maize monoculture was the largest C sink due to its higher net primary production, even though it had significantly (p < 0.05) greater direct and indirect GHG emission than of the maize soybean intercrop treatments with lower N rates. Nitrogen fertilizer contributed to direct and indirect GHG emissions, with peak N2O fluxes from field plots up to two weeks after N fertilization and 26%-74% of indirect emission attributable to N fertilizer use. Higher N fertilizer rates did not improve yield in the maize-soybean intercrop, and the nitrogen-scaled GWP showed that maize-soybean intercrops fertilized with 150-182 kg N ha(-1) had a comparable C fixation potential to maize monoculture receiving 240 kg N ha(-1). In conclusion, we demonstrate the ability of maize-soybean intercrop to function as a C sink, similar to maize monoculture, in the North China Plain.