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Erschienen in: The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 1/2012

01.01.2012 | CARBON FOOTPRINTING

Carbon footprint of canola and mustard is a function of the rate of N fertilizer

verfasst von: Yantai Gan, Chang Liang, Gaobao Huang, Sukhdev S. Malhi, Stewart A. Brandt, Felicitas Katepa-Mupondwa

Erschienen in: The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment | Ausgabe 1/2012

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Abstract

Purpose

Best agricultural practices can be adopted to increase crop productivity and lower carbon footprint of grain products. The aims of this study were to provide a quantitative estimate of the carbon footprint of selected oilseed crops grown on the semiarid northern Great Plains and to determine the effects of N fertilization and environments on the carbon footprint.

Materials and methods

Five oilseed crops, Brassica napus canola, Brassica rapa canola, Brassica juncea canola, B. juncea mustard, and Sinapis alba mustard, were grown under the N rates of 0, 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 kg N ha−1 at eight environsites (location × year combinations) in Saskatchewan, Canada. Straw and root decomposition and various production inputs were used to calculate greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprints.

Results and discussion

Emissions from the production, transportation, storage, and delivery of N fertilizer to farm gates accounted for 42% of the total greenhouse gas emissions, and the direct and indirect emission from the application of N fertilizer in oilseed production added another 31% to the total emission. Emissions from N fertilization were nine times the emission from the use of pesticides and 11 times that of farming operations. Straw and root decomposition emitted 120 kg CO2eq ha−1, contributing 10% to the total emission. Carbon footprint increased slightly as N rates increased from 0 to 50 kg N ha−1, but as N rates increased from 50 to 250 kg N ha−1, carbon footprint increased substantially for all five oilseed crops evaluated. Oilseeds grown at the humid Melfort site emitted 1,355 kg CO2eq ha−1, 30% greater than emissions at the drier sites of Scott and Swift Current. Oilseeds grown at Melfort had their carbon footprint of 0.52 kg CO2eq kg−1 of oilseed, 45% greater than that at Scott (0.45 kg CO2eq kg−1 of oilseed), and 25% greater than that at Swift Current (0.45 kg CO2eq kg−1 of oilseed).

Conclusions

Carbon footprint of oilseeds was a function of the rate of N fertilizer, and the intensity of the functionality varied between environments. Key to lower carbon footprint in oilseeds is to improve N management practices.

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Metadaten
Titel
Carbon footprint of canola and mustard is a function of the rate of N fertilizer
verfasst von
Yantai Gan
Chang Liang
Gaobao Huang
Sukhdev S. Malhi
Stewart A. Brandt
Felicitas Katepa-Mupondwa
Publikationsdatum
01.01.2012
Verlag
Springer-Verlag
Erschienen in
The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment / Ausgabe 1/2012
Print ISSN: 0948-3349
Elektronische ISSN: 1614-7502
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-011-0337-z

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