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Journal article
Simultaneous Controlled N, P and K Release Amplifies Economic Viability and Environmental Stewardship in Rice
Agronomy (Basel), Vol.16(6), 642
2026
Abstract
Meeting rising global food demand requires reconciling high productivity with environmental sustainability. While controlled-release fertilizers can improve nitrogen use efficiency, their combined N-P-K formulation and system-wide impacts remain poorly quantified. A two-year field experiment was conducted in a rice paddy field under a subtropical monsoon climate in Central China to evaluate controlled-release NPK fertilizer (CRNPK) across agronomic, environmental, energy, and economic dimensions. Five treatments were compared: no nitrogen (CK), farmer practice (FFP; 270 kg N ha-1), controlled-release nitrogen (CRN; 225 kg N ha-1), CRNPK (225 kg N ha-1), and reduced-rate CRNPK (80%CRNPK; 180 kg N ha-1). Compared to FFP, CRNPK and 80%CRNPK increased rice yield by 8-16% and nitrogen use efficiency by 38-171%, while reducing reactive nitrogen losses and nitrogen footprint by 39-56%, greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint by 22-57%, and enhancing ecosystem economic benefit by 86-109%. Notably, the 80%CRNPK treatment achieved the highest overall sustainability score (5) based on a comprehensive assessment normalizing seven key indicators-yield, economic benefit, energy productivity, carbon footprint, nitrogen footprint, ecosystem economic benefit (EEB), and emergy-based nutrient efficiency (UEVNmin), demonstrating that yield gains can be maintained or even enhanced with reduced nitrogen inputs. This study advances controlled-release fertilization from a yield-focused strategy to a quantified, system-level approach for sustainable rice intensification.
Details
- Title
- Simultaneous Controlled N, P and K Release Amplifies Economic Viability and Environmental Stewardship in Rice
- Authors/Creators
- Xiaolei Gong - Yangtze UniversityYishui Luo - Yangtze UniversityJintao Li - Yangtze UniversityXiaowei Ma - Yangtze Univ, Coll Agr, Engn Res Ctr Ecol & Agr Use Wet Land, Minist Educ, Jingzhou 434025, Peoples R ChinaDi Shao - Yangtze UniversityGuangjie Zhang - Murdoch Univ, Algae R&D Ctr, Environm & Conservat Sci, 90 South St, Murdoch, WA 6150, AustraliaMatthew Tom Harrison - Univ Tasmania, Tasmanian Inst Agr, Newnham Dr, Launceston, Tas 7248, AustraliaKe Liu - Yangtze UniversityJun Hou - Yangtze University
- Publication Details
- Agronomy (Basel), Vol.16(6), 642
- Publisher
- MDPI
- Number of pages
- 23
- Grant note
- KFG202403; KF202109 / Engineering Research Center of Ecology and Agricultural Use of Wetland, Ministry of Education 2025BCB078; 2022BBA002 / Hubei Provincial Science and Technology Program Project
- Identifiers
- 991005876849407891
- Copyright
- © 2026 by the authors.
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Environmental and Conservation Sciences; Centre for Water, Energy and Waste
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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