A balance among irrigation and fertilization regimes to reduce greenhouse gases emissions from saline and alkaline soils

Abstract Agricultural practices of nitrogen and irrigation overuse bring lots of environmental problems, such as greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions, soil, and water pollution. With the fast expansion of saline and alkaline agricultural soils in the Tarim River Basin, field practice must be very cautious facing water limitations and global warming. The GHGs were measured 1–2 times weekly and water and fertilizer use efficiency were evaluated under five treatments: (1) fallow (Control); (2) no N (kg N ha −1 ) and no irrigation (mm) (0N0W); (3) 200 and 355 (LNLW); (4) 230 and 475 (MNMW), and (5) 320 and 655 (HNHW) (traditional treatment) from 2018 to 2019 under maize in Aksu in the Tarim River Basin. The GHGs increased with fertilization and irrigation. The cumulative GHGs were 0.6–5.9 Mg CO 2 –C ha −1 , 0.2–3.6 kg N 2 O–N ha −1 , and increased significantly with biomass increase. The cumulative CH 4 was −0.03 to −0.12 kg C ha −1 . The MNMW resulted in the highest average water use efficiency (27 kg ha −1 mm −1 ), irrigation water use efficiency (32 kg ha −1 mm −1 ), and agronomic N use efficiency (44 kg kg −1 ), but the lowest greenhouse gas intensity (0.4 kg CO 2 ‐eq ha −1 grain yield). The MNMW reduced the average of 10 mm water, 5 kg N ha −1 fertilizer, and 4 × 10 −3 kg CO 2 ‐eq ha −1 GHGI earning 1 t ha −1 maize compared to HNHW. The CO 2 emission had a strong relationship with temperature (T) and soil moisture (W) (CO 2 emission = (exp (a + bW + cW 2 )) Q 10 (T‐20)/10) ) ( R 2 = 0.59–0.92). The lowest was in the LNLW treatment in 2019; the highest was in the HNHW in 2018). The emission of CO 2 responding to fertilization was below the global trend, but that of N 2 O was above under maize in saline and alkaline soils (pH 7–9). In conclusion, MNMW was the best field management to mitigate GHGs with the highest water and fertilizer use efficiency under maize in saline and alkaline soils in Tarim River Basin, where had the higher N 2 O emission risk.