<p>Reducing agricultural carbon emissions (ACEs) is key to addressing climate change and promoting sustainable social development. This study aims to verify the contribution of different agricultural green technologies (AGTs) to carbon reduction in agricultural production and explore how to strengthen the carbon reduction effect of AGTs. Unlike previous studies, this research first calculates the panel data of the number of AGTs applied in production across 31 provinces in China from 2000 to 2022. On this basis, a two-way fixed effects model is used to empirically analyze the impact of AGTs in production on ACEs. The results show that the application of AGTs in production helps to suppress the growth of ACEs. Compared to alternating irrigation technology and pesticide substitutes, soil improvement technology has a relatively stronger effect on suppressing ACEs. Further, using the Kernel and Tapio models to verify the carbon reduction effect of AGTs, it is found that the overall kernel density of ACEs in China initially increases and then decreases, and the relationship between ACEs and crop yield has generally shifted from an expanding negative decoupling to a strong decoupling. Mechanism analysis shows that environmental regulation policies significantly enhance the carbon reduction effect of alternating irrigation technology and pesticide substitutes, but the influence of environmental regulation on improving the carbon reduction capacity of soil improvement technology is still insufficient. The research conclusions provide empirical evidence for countries around the world in selecting low-carbon technologies and improving relevant policies.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>