Effects of biochar addition on N2O and CO2 emissions from two paddy soils

Impacts of biochar addition on nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from paddy soils are not well documented. Here, we have hypothesized that N2O emissions from paddy soils could be depressed by biochar incorporation during the upland crop season without any effect on CO2 emissions. Therefore, we have carried out the 60-day aerobic incubation experiment to investigate the influences of rice husk biochar incorporation (50 tha(-1)) into two typical paddy soils with or without nitrogen (N) fertilizer on N2O and CO2 evolution from soil. Biochar addition significantly decreased N2O emissions during the 60-day period by 73.1% as an average value while the inhibition ranged from 51.4% to 93.5% (P<0.05-0.01) in terms of cumulative emissions. Significant interactions were observed between biochar, N fertilizer, and soil type indicating that the effect of biochar addition on N2O emissions was influenced by soil type. Moreover, biochar addition did not increase CO2 emissions from both paddy soils (P>0.05) in terms of cumulative emissions. Therefore, biochar can be added to paddy fields during the upland crop growing season to mitigate N2O evolution and thus global warming.