Application of Organic Biowastes with Varied C/N in Tropical Rice Paddies of Northeast India

Recently, there has been an increased focus on the topic of climate change mitigation through sustainable agriculture. The usage of excessive amounts of nitrogenous fertilizer, namely, urea, makes rice habitats significant sources of greenhouse gases such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). It was noted that using organic biowastes with different C/N ratios as substitute fertilizers for the crop could reduce N2O emissions and boost agronomic productivity while investigating this kind of agroecosystem in tropical wetlands. In all three rice ecosystems, the study revealed a way to reduce N2O emissions when rice straw (C/N = 41:1) was added. This might be used as a mitigating intervention. Besides effectively increasing grain output, the organic biowastes also contributed to the restoration and enhancement of the soil’s health. Higher numbers of filled grains per plant and grain production correlated with increased leaf photosynthetic rate in fields supplemented by organic residue application demonstrated maximum utilization of photosynthates for grain filling. This kind of investigation will open up new areas of exploration for agricultural policy makers, scientists, and research workers and may help to work out suitable mitigation strategies of this potent GHG—nitrous oxide (N2O).