To clarify the feasibility of nutrient-limited inputs during the initial conversion of orchards to paddy fields, this study selected newly established paddy fields converted from peach orchards and investigated the effects of nitrogen-, phosphorus-, and potassium-limited fertilization on rice productivity and gaseous reactive nitrogen losses (NH3 volatilization and N?O emissions), using a non-restriction treatment with combined application of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) fertilizer as the control. Results showed that N-limited treatment significantly reduced rice grain yield to 7.04 t/ha compared to the control, while concurrently decreasing NH3 volatilization. In contrast, the yields under P- (10.69 t/ha) and K-limited (10.05 t/ha) treatments remained stable compared with the control (10.25 t/ha) (P>0.05). Moreover, both nutrient omission treatments improved net profit. Compared with the control, net profit under P- and K-limited treatments increased by 1704 and 793 yuan/ha, respectively. The cumulative N2O emissions under the P- and K-limited treatments were 2.66 and 1.50 kg N2O /ha, respectively, and did not differ significantly from those under the control (1.75 kg N2O /ha). The corresponding NH3 volatilization losses were 6.68 and 8.46 kg NH3 /ha, respectively, both lower than that under the control (9.73 kg NH3 /ha), although the differences were not statistically significant. As gaseous reactive N loss was dominated by NH3 volatilization, the P- and K-limited treatments showed no significant differences in total gaseous reactive N loss compared with the control, but both exhibited a decreasing trend, with the P-limited treatment showing the lowest loss. Overall, during the initial stage of orchard-to-paddy conversion, restricting external nutrient inputs by relying on residual soil P and K pools was an effective approach to achieve stable yields, increased profitability, and environmental friendliness.