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Ammonia mitigation campaign with smallholder farmers improves air quality while ensuring high cereal production

Nature Food volume 4, pages 751–761 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

Reducing cropland ammonia (NH3) emissions while improving air quality and food supply is a challenge, particularly in China where there are millions of smallholder farmers. We tested the effectiveness of a tailored nitrogen (N) management strategy applied to wheat–maize cropping systems in ‘demonstration squares’ across Quzhou County in the North China Plain. The N-management techniques included optimal N rates, deep fertilizer placement and application of urease inhibitors, implemented through cooperation between government, researchers, businesses and smallholders. Compared with conventional local smallholder practice, our NH3 mitigation campaign reduced NH3 volatilization from wheat and maize by 49% and 39%, and increased N-use efficiency by 28% and 40% and farmers’ profitability by 25% and 19%, respectively, with no detriment to crop yields. County-wide atmospheric NH3 and fine particulate matter (with aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm) concentrations decreased by 40% and 8%, respectively. County-wide net benefits were estimated at US$7.0 million. Our demonstration-square approach shows that cropland NH3 mitigation and improved air quality and farm profitability can be achieved simultaneously by coordinated actions at the county level.

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Fig. 1: NH3 emissions in China and the location of the demonstration squares and monitoring sites in Quzhou County.
Fig. 2: Schematic of the cropland NH3 emission reduction system tested in the demonstration-square approach.
Fig. 3: Crop yields, NUE, NH3 volatilization and NH3 concentrations in the canopies of wheat and maize for the farmers’ CU and OP treatments.
Fig. 4: Atmospheric NH3 concentrations and the contributions of various NH3 emission sources in Quzhou County.
Fig. 5: Effects of NH3 emission reductions on atmospheric PM2.5 concentrations.

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Data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article and its Supplementary Information. Source data are provided with this paper.

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Acknowledgements

W.X. and X.L. acknowledge support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42175137 and 41425007), the Chinese State Key Special Program on Severe Air Pollution Mitigation ‘Agricultural Emission Status and Enhanced Control Plan’ (DQGG0208), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFD1700902), the High-level Team Project of China Agricultural University, and the Beijing Advanced Discipline Funding.

Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Jiahui Kang, Jingxia Wang.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Nutrient Use and Management, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, National Observation and Research Station of Agriculture Green Development (Quzhou, Hebei), China Agricultural University, Beijing, China

    Jiahui Kang, Jingxia Wang, Sijie Feng, Xinsheng Niu, Hongyan Zhang, Xuejun Liu, Zhenling Cui, Fusuo Zhang & Wen Xu

  2. School of Chemistry, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    Mathew R. Heal

  3. Sustainable Soils and Crops, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK

    Keith Goulding

  4. Environmental Systems Analysis Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands

    Wim de Vries

  5. College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China

    Yuanhong Zhao

  6. College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

    Xiuming Zhang & Baojing Gu

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Contributions

W.X. and X.L. designed the study. J.K., J.W., X.N., Z.C. and H.Z. conducted the demonstration-square approach. J.K., J.W., X.Z., Y.Z. and S.F. performed the measurements and model simulations. J.K. and W.X. performed the data analysis and prepared the figures and tables. J.K., W.X., X.L., M.R.H. and K.G. wrote the article with comments from B.G., W.d.V. and F.Z.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Xuejun Liu or Wen Xu.

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Nature Food thanks Xueyan Liu and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

Supplementary Methods 1–3, Discussions 1–3, Figs. 1–9 and Tables 1–10.

Reporting Summary

Supplementary Data 1

Atmospheric δ15N-NH3 values.

Supplementary Data 2

Mean NO2 concentrations (μg m−3) at 10 atmospheric-monitoring sites in Quzhou County.

Supplementary Data 3

Mean SO2 concentrations (μg m−3) at 10 atmospheric-monitoring sites in Quzhou County.

Supplementary Data 4

Meteorological parameters.

Supplementary Data 5

Average atmospheric NH3 concentrations at the selected ten NH3-monitoring sites in Quzhou County.

Source data

Source Data Fig. 3

Statistical source data.

Source Data Fig. 4

Statistical source data.

Source Data Fig. 5

Statistical source data.

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Kang, J., Wang, J., Heal, M.R. et al. Ammonia mitigation campaign with smallholder farmers improves air quality while ensuring high cereal production. Nat Food 4, 751–761 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-023-00833-7

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