FOR 1701:  Introducing Non-Flooded Crops in Rice-Dominated Landscapes: Impact on Carbon, Nitrogen and Water Cycles (ICON)

• Subject Area: Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine ; Medicine
• Term: from 2011 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 194371065

The Research Unit ICON aims at exploring and quantifying the ecological consequences of future changes in rice production. Turning away from permanently flooded cropping systems to mitigate future water scarcity and reduce methane emissions will alter a variety of ecosystem services with potential adverse effects to the environment and the efficiency of agricultural production. Implementing cropping systems alternating between flooded and non-flooded crops maximises the risk of disruptive effects.
The Research Unit focusses on these consequences of altered flooding regimes, crop diversification and different crop management strategies on the biogeochemical cycling of carbon and nitrogen, associated green-house gas (GHG) emissions, water balance and other important ecosystem services. The overarching goal is to provide the basic process understanding that is necessary for balancing the revenues and environmental impacts of high-yield rice cropping systems while maintaining their vital ecosystem services. The Research Unit comprises eight multidisciplinary subprojects from five research institutions with process-oriented research on (1) molecular biological processes of carbon and nitrogen cycling and associated GHG exchange in soil, (2) the structure and functioning of soil food webs, (3) a combination of plant physiological and soil chemical research addressing the fate of root exudates in soil and their impact on carbon cycling and nitrogen retention and (4) high resolution/high precision assessments of carbon, nitrogen and water budgets.
To this aim, a large-scale field experiment is established at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI, Philippines). The experimental results are analysed in the context of management scenarios by an integrated modelling of crop development (ORYZA), carbon and nitrogen cycling (MoBiLE-DNDC), and water fluxes (CMF), providing the basis for developing pathways to a conversion of rice-based systems towards higher yield potentials under minimised environmental impacts.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• International Connection: Philippines

Projects

• Effect of crop rotation and rice straw mulching on microbial communities involved in carbon conversion processes (Applicant Knief, Claudia )
• Greenhouse Gas Emission of Different Crop Rotations of Rice (flooded and non-flooded) and Maize (Applicant Kiese, Ralf )
• ICON coordination (Applicant Wolters, Volkmar )
• Impact of altered flooding and crop rotation regimes on microbial communities and activities involved in nitrogen fixation and nitrogen cycling (Applicant Reinhold-Hurek, Barbara )
• Influence of soil animals on C and N turnover in rice-based cropping systems (Applicant Wolters, Volkmar )
• Monitoring and modeling of water and related nutrient fluxes in rice-based cropping systems (Applicants Breuer, Lutz ;  Huisman, Johan )
• Plant-soil interactions in changing rice cropping systems and their influence on C and N dynamics (Applicant Siemens, Jan )
• Plant-soil interactions in changing rice cropping systems: Nutrient balances and yield gap analysis (Applicant Becker, Mathias )
• Plot scale modeling and upscaling of greenhouse gas emissions and nitrate leaching (Applicant Butterbach-Bahl, Klaus )
• Trophic interactions in the soil of rice-rice and rice-maize cropping systems (Applicant Wolters, Volkmar )

• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Volkmar Wolters