Carbon Footprint Analyses and Potential Carbon Emission Reduction in China’s Major Peach Orchards

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An excess of material input in fruit orchards has brought serious environmental problems, particularly in China. However, studies on the estimation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in peach orchards are limited. In this study, based on questionnaire surveys in major peach-producing regions, including the North China Plain (n = 214), as well as northwest (n = 22) and southwest (n = 33) China, the carbon footprints (CFs) of these orchards were calculated by the life cycle assessment. The potential emission reduction in each region was estimated by combining the GHG emissions and CFs with plantation areas and fruit yields. The results showed that the average GHG emissions in the North China Plain, northwest, and southwest regions were 15,668 kg CO2-eq ha−1, 10,386 kg CO2-eq ha−1, and 5580 kg CO2-eq ha−1, with corresponding CFs of 0.48 kg CO2-eq ha−1, 0.27 kg CO2-eq ha−1, and 0.20 kg CO2-eq kg−1, respectively. The main contribution source of GHG emissions in these three regions was fertilizer (77–95%), followed by electricity, pesticides, and diesel. By adopting advanced farming practices with high yield and a high partial factor productivity of fertilizer, the GHG emissions could be reduced by ~13–35%, with the highest potential reduction in the North China Plain. In conclusion, the GHG emissions and their CFs were impressively high in China’s major peach-producing regions, but these GHG emissions could be substantially decreased by optimizing nutrients and irrigation management, including the rational selection of fertilizer rates and types with water-saving irrigation systems or practices (e.g., mulching) for increasing fertilizer and water use efficiency, and maintaining a sustainable peach production in China or similar countries.

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PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 基于生命周期评价的上海市水稻生产的碳足迹 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201304240794 作者: 作者单位: 上海市农业科学院,上海市农业科学院,上海市农业科学院,上海市农业科学院,江西农业大学 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家科技部支撑计划后世博专项资助项目(2010BAK69B18);上海市科委崇明科技攻关专项资助项目(10DZ1960101) Life cycle assessment of carbon footprint for rice production in Shanghai Author: Affiliation: Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences,Seed management station of Shanghai,,,Jiangxi Agricultural University Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:碳足迹是指由企业、组织或个人引起的碳排放的集合。参照PAS2050规范并结合生命周期评价方法对上海市水稻生产进行了碳足迹评估。结果表明:(1)目前上海市水稻生产的碳排放为11.8114 t CO2e/hm2,折合每吨水稻生产周期的碳足迹为1.2321 t CO2e;(2)稻田温室气体排放是水稻生产最主要的碳排放源,每吨水稻生产的总排放量为0.9507 t CO2e,占水稻生产全部碳排放的77.1%,其中甲烷(CH4)又是最主要的温室气体,对稻田温室气体碳排放的贡献率高达96.6%;(3)化学肥料的施用是第二大碳排放源,每吨水稻生产的总排放量为0.2044 t CO2e,占水稻生产总碳排放的16.5%,其中N最高,排放量为0.1159 t CO2e。因此,上海低碳水稻生产的关键在降低稻田甲烷的排放,另外可通过提高氮肥利用效率,减少氮肥施用等方法减少种植过程中碳排放。 Abstract:Global climate change has become an urgent issue of concern. 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At present, carbon footprints are used to measure GHG emissions in products, services, organizations, cities and countries and offer the decision basis for the formulation of GHG emission reduction schemes.Agricultural ecological systems, every year, also produce a lot of GHG emissions. The whole process of prenatal, intrapartum and postpartum agricultural production are closely related to energy consumption and GHG emission. In the process, all the agricultural inputs, such as chemical fertilizers, pesticides, seeds, cultivation, plant protection, agricultural machinery, irrigation and harvest also produce greenhouse gas emissions.The whole cultivation of rice involves methane (CH4) emission. This study shows that rice cultivation is one of the biggest sources of GHG emissions in crop cultivation. Rice paddies emit a large amount of methane in their water logged mode. Different irrigation modes have a great influence on the emission of GHG. 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  • Research Article
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Greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation potential of hybrid maize seed production in northwestern China
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Although hybrid maize seed production is one of the most important agriculture systems worldwide, its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and potential mitigation measures have not been studied. In this study, we used life cycle assessment (LCA) to quantify the GHG emissions of 150 farmers run by 6 companies in an area of northwest China known for hybrid maize seed production. The results indicated that the average reactive nitrogen (Nr) losses and GHG emissions from hybrid maize seed production were 53 kg N ha-1 and 8077 kg CO2 eq ha-1, respectively. Furthermore, the average nitrogen and carbon footprints of the process were 12.2 kg N Mg-1 and 1495 kg CO2 eq Mg-1, respectively. Nitrogen fertilizer and electricity consumption for irrigation were the main contributors to high GHG emissions, accounting for 60% and 30% of the total, respectively. The GHG emissions from seed production for different companies varied greatly with their resource input. There was also a large variation in environmental burdens among the 150 farmers. Based on an analysis of the yield group, we found that the carbon footprint of the first group (the one with the highest yield) was 27% lower than the overall average. Scenario analysis suggests that a combined reduction of N input rate, optimizing irrigation, and increasing yield can eventually mitigate the carbon footprint of hybrid maize seed production by 37%. An integrated systematic approach (e.g., ISSM: integrated soil-crop system management) can reduce the GHG emissions involved in producing hybrid maize seeds. This study provides quantitative evidence and a potential strategy for GHG emissions reduction of hybrid maize seed production.

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