ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Climate-Smart Food Systems
This article is part of the Research TopicMitigating Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Emissions Through Bio-Inputs and Innovative PracticesView all 7 articles
Single application of controlled-release fertilizer at the seedling stage enhances grain yield and mitigates methane emissions in coastal saline soils
Provisionally accepted
Xiang Zhang
Xiaoyu Geng
Yang LiuLulu WangWeiyi MaJizou ZhuYue JiangXiaozhou Sheng
Yinglong Chen
Pinglei Gao
Huanhe Wei*Qigen Dai*- College of Agriculture, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
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Rice cultivation in coastal saline soils plays a critical role in enhancing global food security, especially as arable land becomes increasingly scarce under climate and environmental pressures. However, there is limited understanding of how to optimize nitrogen (N) fertilizer strategies in these saline environments to simultaneously improve rice yield and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. This two-year (2023-2024) field study evaluated the effects of controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) on rice grain yield and methane (CH4) emissions in coastal saline soils. Two rice cultivars (Nanjing 5718 and Yongyou 4953) were assessed under four N fertilizer rates: N0 (zero N), N1 (270 kg N hm-2 using conventional split urea), N2 (270 kg N hm-2 with 50% 80-day CRF + 50% basal urea), and N3 (270 kg N hm-2 with 50% 120-day CRF applied at the seedling stage + 50% basal urea). Compared to N1, grain yield under N3 increased by 10.2% to 12.9%, while N2 decreased yield by 11.9% to 13.0% across both years. CH4 emissions increased rapidly after transplanting and peaked at 28 days after transplanting in both years, followed by a sharp decline. In 2023 and 2024, N2 reduced peak CH4 flux and total seasonal emissions by 18.9% and 20.4%, respectively, while N3 reduced them by 6.8% and 7.7%, respectively. The N3 treatment also enhanced root traits such as length, surface area, volume, and oxidation activity, particularly at heading and maturity stages. At the mid-tillering stage, concentrations of malic, tartaric, oxalic, and formic acids in root exudates showed significant positive correlations with CH4 emissions, while at the heading stage, oxalic and gluconic acids were also positively associated with CH4 flux. These results indicate that single application of CRF with a 120-day release period at the seedling stage, combined with basal urea, can improve grain yield, root development, and reduce CH4 emissions, offering a promising strategy for sustainable and low-carbon rice cultivation in coastal saline soils.
Keywords: rice, root traits, methane emissions, Controlled-release fertilizer, Coastal saline soil
Received: 26 Jul 2025; Accepted: 17 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Geng, Liu, Wang, Ma, Zhu, Jiang, Sheng, Chen, Gao, Wei and Dai. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Huanhe Wei, 006931@yzu.edu.cn
Qigen Dai, qgdai@yzu.edu.cn
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