Is rice field a nitrogen source or sink for the environment?

Rice field has been traditionally considered as a nonpoint source of reactive nitrogen (N) for the environment, while it, with surrounding ditches and ponds, also contributes to receiving N inputs from atmosphere and waterbodies and intercepting N outputs from rice field. However, a comprehensive assessment of the N source or sink of rice field for the environment is lacking. Here, we conducted the 3-year systematic observations and process-based simulations of N budget at the Jingzhou site in Central China. We identified the roles of rice field and evaluated the opportunities for shifting its role from N source (i.e., outputs > inputs) to sink (i.e., outputs ≤ inputs). Rice field was found to be a N source of 24.2–28.7 kg N ha−1 for waterbodies (including surface and ground waters), but a N sink (2.2–8.8 kg N ha−1) for the atmosphere for the wet and normal year climatic scenarios. The “4R-nutrient stewardship” (i.e., using the right type of N fertilizers, at right rate, right time, and in right place) applied in rice field was sufficient for the source-to-sink shift for the atmosphere for dry year climatic scenario, but needed to implement together with improvements of irrigation and drainage for waterbodies. Furthermore, with the combination of these improved management technologies, rice field played a role as a N sink of up to 22.8 kg N ha−1 for the atmosphere and up to 2.0 kg N ha−1 for waterbodies, along with 24% decrease in irrigation water use and 21% decrease in N application rate without affecting rice yield and soil fertility. Together these findings highlight a possibility to achieve an environmental-friendly rice field by improving agricultural management technologies.