Plant demand for K in rice is comparable to nitrogen. With yields and management practices changing, refining K fertility management and decision-making tools is necessary. Our objectives were to determine (1) how soil K balances affect soil K indices, (2) the best soil test indicator of plant K availability, and (3) the relationships between plant and soil K indices. We assessed soil (plow layer) and flag-leaf samples from 55...

Breeding high‐yielding rice cultivars through increasing biomass is a key strategy to meet rising global food demands. Yet, increasing rice growth can stimulate methane ( CH 4 ) emissions, exacerbating global climate change, as rice cultivation is a major source of this powerful greenhouse gas. Here, we show in a series of experiments that high‐yielding rice cultivars actually reduce CH 4 emissions from typical paddy soils. Av...

Climate change is predicted to shift temperature regimes in most agricultural areas with temperature changes expected to impact yields of most crops, including rice. These temperature‐driven effects can be classified into point stresses, where a temperature event during a sensitive stage drives a reduction in yield, or seasonal warming losses, where raised temperature is thought to increase maintenance energy demands and there...

Agriculture is faced with the challenge of providing healthy food for a growing population at minimal environmental cost. Rice ( Oryza sativa ), the staple crop for the largest number of people on earth, is grown under flooded soil conditions and uses more water and has higher greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions than most crops. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that alternate wetting and drying ( AWD – flood...

To meet growing global food demand with limited land and reduced environmental impact, agricultural greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions are increasingly evaluated with respect to crop productivity, i.e., on a yield‐scaled as opposed to area basis. Here, we compiled available field data on CH 4 and N 2 O emissions from rice production systems to test the hypothesis that in response to fertilizer nitrogen (N) addition, yield‐scaled...

No‐tillage and reduced tillage ( NT / RT ) management practices are being promoted in agroecosystems to reduce erosion, sequester additional soil C and reduce production costs. The impact of NT / RT on N 2 O emissions, however, has been variable with both increases and decreases in emissions reported. Herein, we quantitatively synthesize studies on the short‐ and long‐term impact of NT / RT on N 2 O emissions in humid and dry...

Agricultural greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions contribute approximately 12% to total global anthropogenic GHG emissions. Cereals (rice, wheat, and maize) are the largest source of human calories, and it is estimated that world cereal production must increase by 1.3% annually to 2025 to meet growing demand. Sustainable intensification of cereal production systems will require maintaining high yields while reducing environmental...