21446 4 archive 353 disk0/00/02/14/46 2026-04-07 12:10:18 2026-04-07 12:10:18 2026-04-07 12:10:18 article show 1 Chen S. Wang C. Zhang X. 2529 0000-0002-1961-3339 Cui J. Zhang J. Müller C. Cai Z. Gu B. pub ECE ECEPM ammonium, enhanced efficiency fertilizers, greenhouse gas emissions, nitrogen cycling, nitrogen use efficiency, rice Rice sustains nearly half of the global population, yet its nitrogen (N) use efficiency remains low, undermining both food security and environmental integrity. Rice predominantly absorbs ammonium (NH4 +), which is readily nitrified and lost through irrigation and drainage, posing a persistent management challenge. Integrating 1756 paired field observations and global modelling, we show that using enhanced-efficiency fertilizers to maintain soil NH4 + relative to conventional practices increases rice yield by 6%-10% and N use efficiency by 18%-33%, while reducing ammonia (NH3) volatilization by 16%-50%, nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions by 25%-49%, and methane (CH4) emissions by 9%-30%. This N transformation-based management could reduce global N fertilizer inputs by 1.4 +/- 0.06 million tonnes (Tg), generate an additional 72 +/- 13 Tg of rice, and lower N2O, CH4, and NH3 emissions by 0.07 +/- 0.02, 6.8 +/- 2.0, and 0.6 +/- 0.2 Tg, respectively, equivalent to an annual reduction of about 202 Tg CO2-eq. The total social benefit is valued at US$51 +/- 5 billion, including US$29 +/- 2 billion in added food value, achieved with only US$1.6 +/- 0.6 billion in fertilizer investment and US$0.9 +/- 0.1 billion in transaction costs. Aligning N transformation processes with crop N preference thus represents a pivotal strategy for sustaining rice productivity while minimizing environmental impacts. 2026-03-27 published Wiley-Blackwell doi:10.1111/gcb.70817 3828 none Global Change Biology 32 3 e70817 TRUE 1365-2486 info:eu-repo/semantics/article