Table 1 Detailed description of the seven selected low carbon technologies for this case study

New rice varieties

Rice varieties, such as pest-resistant genetically modified varieties, efficient use of nitrogen fertilizer varieties, which can reduce the use of pesticides and nitrogen inputs or increase rice yield, or improve their oxidation in rhizosphere and transmission capacity, finally markedly reduce CH₄ emissions

0.51–1.39 t CO₂-eq ha⁻¹

Tao, 2008; Fu et al. 2010; Xu et al. 2015

Conservation tillage

Reducing or avoiding tillage practices, which can increase soil carbon storage through reducing microbial decomposition, and promoting crop residue incorporation into soil

0.23–0.71 t CO₂-eq ha⁻¹

Zhang et al. 2013; Chen et al. 2014; Xue et al. 2014

Optimizing fertilizer management

Changes of fertilizer application rates, for instance, applying fertilizer depending on crop needs in different rice growth phases in order to increase fertilizer use efficiency thus reducing GHG emissions, especially nitrous oxide

0.36–0.62 t CO₂-eq ha⁻¹

Snyder et al. 2010; Shang et al. 2012; Chen et al. 2016

Water—saving irrigation strategy

This practice usually comprises one or several drainage periods in paddy soil, which prevents the development of soil reductive conditions and markedly reduces CH₄ emissions

0.38–1.29 t CO₂-eq ha⁻¹

Ahn et al. 2014; Win et al. 2015; Xu et al. 2015

Pesticide reduction technology

It consists of reduced herbicide, hand weeding or pest control with light trap in order to reduce the pesticide inputs, thus reducing GHG emissions

0.48–1.85 t CO₂-eq ha⁻¹

Lei, 2013; Chen et al. 2016; Zhang et al. 2016

Planting green manure in fallow winter season

Planting green manure in the winter fallow field, increases soil carbon stores and reduced fertilizer use, thereby reducing nitrous oxide emissions

0.12–1.87 t CO₂-eq ha⁻¹

Xu et al., 2016; Shang et al. 2016; Wang et al. 2015

Planting-breeding technology

Common cultivation aquaculture in paddy fields, aerate the paddy soil by burrowing into the soil for searching food, prevent a drop in the redox potential and lower CH₄ emission

0.78–2.12 t CO₂-eq ha⁻¹

Datta et al. 2009; Bhattacharyya et al. 2013; Xu et al. 2017