Life cycle assessment of sunflower and rapeseed as energy crops under Chilean conditions

An option for the agriculture and energy sectors in Chile is the cultivation of energy crops, but environmental studies are first needed in the framework of a sustainable national energy policy.In this study, we used a cradle-to-farm gate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to compare environmental impacts and energy and water demand of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) in Chile, as potential oleaginous crops for first-generation biodiesel production. National agricultural data are used for the LCA inventory and process data of international databases are adapted to local conditions. The effect of field N₂O emissions and land use change is evaluated. The results indicate that, compared to sunflower, rapeseed production has a better environmental performance in 9 out of the 11 impact categories evaluated, and lower water consumption. The energy demand of rapeseed is 4.9 GJ/t seed, 30% less than that of sunflower. Mineral fertilizers cause the highest environmental impact in both crops. The analysis of the life cycle of fertilizers indicates that extraction of raw materials and its production are key stages. Attempts to reduce the environmental impact and energy requirement of both crops should be mainly associated with the evaluation of other types of fertilization. In addition, particularly for sunflower, low impact herbicides should be evaluated, seed yield improved and cultivation practices optimized. If the crops are produced on degraded grasslands, the greenhouse gas emissions may be reduced.     

Biogenic greenhouse gas emissions linked to the life cycles of biodiesel derived from European rapeseed and Brazilian soybeans

Biogenic emissions of carbonaceous greenhouse gases and N₂O turn out to be important determinants of life cycle emissions of greenhouse gases linked to the life cycle of biodiesel from European rapeseed and Brazilian soybeans. For biodiesel from European rapeseed and for biodiesel from Brazilian soybeans grown for up to 25 years with no tillage on arable soil for which tropical rainforest or Cerrado (savannah) have been cleared, the life cycle emissions of greenhouse gases are estimated to be worse than for conventional diesel. Improving agricultural practices should be an important focus for cleaner production of biodiesel. These may include increasing soil carbon stocks by, e.g., conservation tillage and return of harvest residues and improving N-efficiency by precision agriculture and/or improved irrigation practices.     

化肥减量有机替代对紫色土旱坡地土壤氮磷养分及作物产量的影响

化肥减量配施有机肥是实现环境友好,保持耕地质量的国家战略,对防治土壤污染和实现农业可持续发展具有重要意义.以三峡库区紫色土旱坡地为研究对象,通过田间试验研究了在油菜/玉米轮作模式下,对照处理、常规施肥、优化施肥、生物炭（化肥减量配施生物炭）及秸秆还田（化肥减量配施秸秆还田）这5个处理对土壤氮、磷形态、作物氮磷含量、肥料利用率及作物产量的影响.结果表明,土壤铵态氮含量在油菜季的秸秆处理最高,为4.51 mg·kg^-1.各处理玉米季的土壤铵态氮和碱解氮含量均明显高于油菜季.化肥减量配施有机肥可以保障并提高土壤全氮的含量.其中,秸秆处理的油菜季和玉米季土壤全氮含量均最高,分别为0.56 g·kg^-1和0.60 g·kg^-1.秸秆处理的油菜季土壤有效磷含量最高（0.76 mg·kg^-1）.化肥减量配施有机肥的土壤全磷含量较常规处理没有显著差异（P>0.05）.化肥减量配施有机肥表现出略有增产的趋势,其中生物炭处理的油菜产量最高（2328 kg·hm^-2）;常规处理的玉米产量最高（5838 kg·hm^-2）.无论油菜季还是玉米季,各化肥减量处理较常规处理都普遍提高了氮肥和磷肥的农学利用率.在紫色土地区中,化肥减量配施生物炭和秸秆还田均有利于改善土壤养分、提高化肥利用率,达到减少氮肥、磷肥施用量和提高作物产量的效果.     

辽西北春玉米旱灾灾损风险区划

开展干旱风险区划研究,对实现抗旱减灾及粮食稳产增产至关重要。以辽西北为研究区域,以作物水分亏缺指数（CWDI）为干旱表征指标,利用该区1965—2019年逐日气象数据及多年玉米种植资料,通过数理统计和通径分析方法揭示研究区玉米干旱时空演变及对各气象因子的响应特征,在此基础上构建干旱灾损指数进行旱灾风险区划,结果表明:（1）近54年春玉米抽穗—成熟期CWDI值以2.2/10 a的速率上升,其他生育阶段呈下降趋势,空间上干旱频率由辽西向辽北递减;（2）相对湿度和降水量与CWDI指数呈明显负相关,其他气象因子呈正相关,其中气温和相对湿度对其直接影响最大;（3）辽西北分四个灾损风险区,且风险程度由辽北向辽西递增。研究结果可为优化春玉米农田管理和防灾减灾提供一定参考。     

Economic feasibility of adapting crop enterprises to future climate change: a case study of flexible scheduling and irrigation for representative farms in Flathead Valley,Montana, USA

Future climate change directly impacts crop agriculture by altering temperature and precipitation regimes, crop yields, crop enterprise net returns, and net farm income. Most previous studies assess the potential impacts of agricultural adaptation to climate change on crop yields. This study attempts to evaluate the potential impacts of crop producers’ adaptation to future climate change on crop yield, crop enterprise net returns, and net farm income in Flathead Valley, Montana, USA. Crop enterprises refer to the combinations of inputs (e.g., land, labor, and capital) and field operations used to produce a crop. Two crop enterprise adaptations are evaluated: flexible scheduling of field operations; and crop irrigation. All crop yields are simulated using the Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model. Net farm income is assessed for small and large representative farms and two soils in the study area. Results show that average crop yields in the future period (2006–2050) without adaptation are between 7% and 48% lower than in the historical period (1960–2005). Flexible scheduling of the operations used in crop enterprises does not appear to be an economically efficient form of crop enterprise adaptation because it does not improve crop yields and crop enterprise net returns in the future period. With irrigation, crop yields are generally higher for all crop enterprises and crop enterprise net returns increase for the canola and alfalfa enterprises but decrease for all other assessed crop enterprises relative to no adaptation. Overall, average crop enterprise net return in the future period is 45% lower with than without irrigation. Net farm income decreases for both the large and small representative farms with both flexible scheduling and irrigation. Results indicate that flexible scheduling and irrigation adaptation are unlikely to reduce the potential adverse economic impacts of climate change on crop producers in Montana’s Flathead Valley.     

中国农业植被净初级生产力模拟(Ⅱ)——模型的验证与净初级生产力估算

利用我国若干代表性区域6种主要作物(水稻、小麦、玉米、棉花、大豆、油菜)生产力的田间试验及统计数据,对中国农业植被净初级生产力模型Crop鄄C进行了验证。结果表明,该模型能利用常规的气象和土壤资料、化肥氮施用量等较好地模拟我国6种作物主产区的净初级生产力,模拟值与观测值的相关系数(R2)为0.80(n=786)。将Crop鄄C模型与GIS空间数据库耦合,估计了1980-2000年中国农业植被净初级生产力。模拟结果表明,自1980年以来,中国农业植被净初级生产力呈增加趋势,从1980年的472.9TgC增加到2000年的607.2TgC,秦岭淮河以北的华北地区和西北部分地区增加最为明显。     

WRF-Fluent耦合模式的构建及其对城市大气扩散的精细化模拟

为了准确刻画城市环境中的复杂建筑结构对大气运动和污染物输送及扩散过程的影响,结合中尺度模式WRF和微尺度模式Fluent构建了单向耦合的WRF-Fluent模式,并将其应用于榆中县城区高架源排放情景下大气扩散的模拟研究.基于城市气象/示踪外场试验期间获取的气象数据对WRF模式的模拟性能进行验证,发现WRF能够为Fluent提供比较准确的随时间变化的气象驱动场.在此基础上,将榆中县城区三维几何模型嵌入到WRF-Fluent中,对城区内的流场及污染烟羽的时空演变过程进行精细化模拟,并将模拟结果与实测示踪物浓度数据进行比对.结果显示,WRF-Fluent模式可以很好地描述城区内的复杂三维风场结构以及污染烟羽随时间的动态变化特征,而且模拟的地面和城市冠层顶浓度最大值基本位于观测值的0.3~3倍之内,这表明构建的WRF-Fluent模式具有较好的模拟性能,可作为一种有效的工具应用于实际城市规划和空气质量改善以及环境风险评估等方面的研究.     

Effect of land management on soil microbial N supply to crop N uptake in a dry tropical cropland in Tanzania

In Sub-Saharan Africa, conservation of available soil N during early crop growth, when N loss by leaching generally occurs, is important to improve crop productivity. In a dry tropical cropland in Tanzania, we assessed the potential role of soil microbes as a temporal N sink-source to conserve the available soil N until later crop growth, which generally requires substantial crop N uptake. We evaluated the effect of land management [i.e., no input, plant residue application before planting (P plot) with or without fertilizer application, fertilizer application alone, and non-cultivated plots] on the relationship between soil N pool [microbial biomass N (MBN) and inorganic N] and crop N uptake throughout the ∼120-d crop growth period in two consecutive years. In the P plot, MBN clearly increased (∼14.6-29.6 kg N ha⁻¹) early in the crop growth period in both years because of immobilization of potentially leachable N, and it conserved a larger soil N pool (∼10.5-21.2 kg N ha⁻¹) than in the control plot. Especially in one year in which N leaching was critical, increased MBN maintained a larger soil N pool in the P plot throughout the experimental period, and a delay of increased MB C:N ratio and a substantial decrease in MBN was observed, indicating better soil microbial N supply for crop N uptake during later crop growth. Therefore, plant residue application before planting should enhance the role of soil microbes as a temporal N sink-source, leading to the conservation of potentially leachable N until later phase of crop growth, especially in years in which N leaching is relatively severe. Although further studies are necessary, our results suggest that plant residue application before planting is a promising option to achieve better N synchronization.     

Environmental impact of the substitution of imported soybean meal with locally-produced rapeseed meal in dairy cow feed

Growing public concerns about the traceability, safety and environmental-friendliness of food products provide an incentive for shorter supply chains in agricultural production. Here, we assessed the environmental impacts of the substitution of imported soybean meal with locally-produced rapeseed meal in French dairy production systems, using a life-cycle approach. Two feeding rations based on either French-produced rapeseed meal or Brazilian-produced soy meal as concentrates, were compared for nine impact categories, including global warming, ecotoxicity and eutrophication. Crop production was the main contributor to most impacts, while overseas transport of soy meal only had a marginal effect. The “Soybean” ration appeared more environmentally-efficient than the “Rapeseed” ration because it involved less intensive management practices, in particular regarding synthetic fertilizers consumption. However, land use changes brought about by soybean cultivation should also be examined.     

中国农业植被净初级生产力模拟(I)——模型的建立与灵敏度分析

以业已建成的稻麦作物净初级生产力模型为基本框架,建立了一个具有普适性的中国农业植被净初级生产力模型(CropC-)。CropC-的模拟对象为占我国农作物总播种面积2/3的水稻、小麦、玉米、棉花、油菜和大豆。该模型包括2个主要功能模块:光合作用和呼吸作用;土壤-作物系统氮素运移。前者综合考虑了环境因子和氮素的影响,后者包括了作物氮素吸收、土壤氮矿化和化肥氮释放。灵敏度分析表明,在输入参数变化±10%时,CropC-对6个主要输入参数响应的敏感性依次为温度>光合有效辐射>大气CO2浓度>土壤全氮含量>施氮量>降水。模型分析表明,气候变暖将降低作物净初级生产力。     

Mining life cycle modelling: a cradle-to-gate approach to environmental management in the minerals industry

It is common practise in mining Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies to use a predefined set of data to represent mining production systems. Besides this, very little is added to improve data quality, and essential mining process details which affect the ultimate environmental impacts is rarely taken into account. Some significant omissions include exploration and development work, mining method used, production, ore losses, location and the mining/processing method dependent factors that govern the nature of discharges to the environment. The mining system is often represented as a black-box, not lending itself to the interpretation of different processes used in minerals production. The generic data used are often inadequate for a mining LCA, and cannot be used as an accurate account of mining environmental burdens contributing to more complex systems “down-stream”, such as metals, building, chemical or food industries. Therefore, the main objective of the mining LCA model presented in this paper was to develop a tool that is able to represent the mining system in a comprehensive way. To attain this objective, the mining system was studied in more detail, as it is commonly practised during mine feasibility and design stages. It (LICYMIN) was developed as part of an international research project led by Imperial College London. The model integrates the mine production, processing, waste treatment and disposal, rehabilitation and aftercare stages of a mine's life within an LCA framework. The development work was carried out in collaboration with several industrial partners in Europe, including Bakonyi Bauxitbánya Kft. in Hungary. The model structure, database development and examples of field applications from industrial sites are presented.     

重庆市主要农耕区土壤Cd生物有效性及影响因素

选择在重庆南川区采集大宗农作物水稻及根系土样品155件,另采集部分玉米、土豆、番茄、油菜、李子和猕猴桃及根系土样品进行测试分析,以生物富集系数表征元素的生物有效性,分析土壤理化性质、土壤组分、地质背景及作物种类等因素对Cd生物有效性的影响.结果表明,南川区水稻及根系土中均存在一定程度的Cd超标现象,且Cd生物有效性相对较低;土壤酸碱度为Cd生物有效性的主要控制因素,酸性条件下生物有效性更高;番茄、李子和猕猴桃对Cd的富集能力较弱.因此,可通过人工调控田块酸碱度或调整种植结构等手段预防土壤重金属污染、提高农产品质量.该方法亦可用于其它土壤重金属或Se等健康元素的相关研究,为土地安全利用、高品质农产品的生产提供科学依据.     

Modelling impacts of alternative farming management practices on greenhouse gas emissions from a winter wheat–maize rotation system in China

Agricultural production plays an important role in affecting atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. Field measurements were conducted in Quzhou County, Hebei Province in the North China Plains to quantify carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from a winter wheat–maize rotation field, a common cropping system across the Chinese agricultural regions. The observed flux data in conjunction with the local climate, soil and management information were utilized to test a process-based model, Denitrification–Decomposition or DNDC, for its applicability for the cropping system. The validated DNDC was then used for predicting impacts of three management alternatives (i.e., no-till, increased crop residue incorporation and reduced fertilizer application rate) on CO₂ and N₂O emissions from the target field. Results from the simulations indicated that (1) CO₂ emissions were significantly affected by temperature, initial SOC, tillage method, and quantity and quality of the organic matter added in the soils; (2) increases in temperature, initial SOC, total fertilizer N input, and manure amendment substantially increased N₂O emissions; and (3) temperature, initial SOC, tillage, and quantity and quality of the organic matter added in the soil all had significant effects on global warming. Finally, five 50-year scenarios were simulated with DNDC to predict their long-term impacts on crop yield, soil C dynamics, nitrate leaching losses, and N₂O emissions. The modelled results suggested that implementation of manure amendment or crop residue incorporation instead of increased fertilizer application rates would more efficiently mitigate GHG emissions from the tested agro-ecosystem. The multi-impacts provided a sound basis for comprehensive assessments on the management alternatives.     

Life Cycle Assessment for biodiesel production under Greek climate conditions

The aim of this paper is to understand and to model the environmental performance of biodiesel produced by various Greek raw materials under current conditions. Three energy crops (rapeseed, sunflower and soybean) have been studied, with regard to their levels of biodiesel productivity. Throughout the entire process, current Greek climatic conditions and cultivation parameters have been taken into account. At the stage of assessment, we conclude that the environmental impacts per crop area indicate that soybean has the lowest environmental impacts. However, by assessing the results per quantity of produced biodiesel, the crop with the minimum environmental impacts is sunflower. This paper shows that environmental benefits from biodiesel have better results, compared to conventional diesel, thus leading to the conclusion that it is feasible to succeed improved environmental performance.     

Vegetation dynamics in abandoned crop fields on a Mediterranean island: Development of succession model and estimation of disturbance thresholds

This case study on the Sifnos island, Greece, assesses the main factors controlling vegetation succession following crop abandonment and describes the vegetation dynamics of maquis and phrygana formations in relation to alternative theories of secondary succession. Field survey data were collected and analysed at community as well as species level. The results show that vegetation succession on abandoned crop fields is determined by the combined effects of grazing intensity, soil and geological characteristics and time. The analysis determines the quantitative grazing thresholds that modify the successional pathway. Light grazing leads to dominance by maquis vegetation while overgrazing leads to phryganic vegetation. The proposed model shows that vegetation succession following crop abandonment is a complex multi-factor process where the final or the stable stage of the process is not predefined but depends on the factors affecting succession. An example of the use of succession models and disturbance thresholds as a policy assessment tool is presented by evaluating the likely vegetation impacts of the recent reform of the Common Agricultural Policy on Sifnos island over a 20–30-year time horizon.     

Growth,yield and system performance simulation of a sugarcane–eucalyptus interface in a sub-tropical region of Brazil

The sugarcane (Sacharum officinarum) monocropping has had a great socio-economic and environmental impact in Brazil, and agroforestry (AFs) has been considered as an alternative to its sustainable production. However, there is a lack of field experiments results under such conditions. Therefore, yield measurement across transect in the tree–crop interface in on-farm conditions, as well as the use of simulation models, may allow the evaluation of biophysical interactions between trees and crops and system productivity. In this work, plant growth and yield in a sugarcane–eucalyptus (Eucalyptus grandis) on-farm interface were evaluated. The experimental site had a Chromic Ferralsol soil and it is located in a sub-tropical region of Brazil. Availability of solar radiation for the crop along the transect was estimated and its effect on sugarcane dry matter production was evaluated. Using such relations, two sugarcane–eucalyptus AFs cycles were simulated to estimate system productivity. The field results showed that the trees presented a higher growth in the AFs, while the crop growth and yield were inversely proportional to their distance from the trees. The eucalyptus wood volume increased from 0.15 to 0.29 m³ per tree from monocropping to AFs. The sugarcane dry matter decreased from 35.1 to 8.70 t ha⁻¹ from the furthest to the closest position from tree along the transect. Simulations suggested that light was the main cause of the crop yield reduction, but the importance of competition for water and nutrients increased inversely according to tree distance. However, both simulated AFs provided land equivalent ratio (LER) similar to one (1). Field measurements and simulations indicate that agroforestry systems are a sound alternative for sugarcane cultivation in the studied region. Combination of on-farm studies and simulation models provided conditions to understand tree–crop interactions and to extrapolate field results so that the performance of a new system could be estimated.     

Cover crop effects on nitrous oxide emission from a manure-treated Mollisol

Agriculture contributes 40–60% of the total annual N₂O emissions to the atmosphere. Development of management practices to reduce these emissions would have a significant impact on greenhouse gas levels. Non-leguminous cover crops are efficient scavengers of residual soil NO₃, thereby reducing leaching losses. However, the effect of a grass cover crop on N₂O emissions from soil receiving liquid swine manure has not been evaluated. This study investigated: (i) the temporal patterns of N₂O emissions following addition of swine manure slurry in a laboratory setting under fluctuating soil moisture regimes; (ii) assessed the potential of a rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crop to decrease N₂O emissions under these conditions; and (iii) quantified field N₂O emissions in response to either spring applied urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) or different rates of fall-applied liquid swine manure, in the presence or absence of a rye/oat winter cover crop. Laboratory experiments investigating cover crop effects N₂O emissions were performed in a controlled environment chamber programmed for a 14 h light period, 18 °C day temperature, and 15 °C night temperature. Treatments with or without a living rye cover crop were treated with either: (i) no manure; (ii) a phosphorus-based manure application rate (low manure): or (iii) a nitrogen-based manure application rate (high manure). We observed a significant reduction in N₂O emissions in the presence of the rye cover crop. Field experiments were performed on a fine-loamy soil in Central Iowa from October 12, 2005 to October 2, 2006. We observed no significant effect of the cover crop on cumulative N₂O emissions in the field. The primary factor influencing N₂O emission was N application rate, regardless of form or timing. The response of N₂O emission to N additions was non-linear, with progressively more N₂O emitted with increasing N application. These results indicate that while cover crops have the potential to reduce N₂O emissions, N application rate may be the overriding factor.     

Non-linear pathways of corporate environmental management: a survey of ISO 14001-certified companies in Brazil

A study was conducted to verify whether the theory on the evolution of corporate environmental management (CEM) is applicable to organizations located in Brazil. Some of the most important proposals pertaining to the evolution of CEM were evaluated in a systematic fashion and integrated into a typical theoretical framework containing three evolutionary stages: reactive, preventive and proactive. The validity of this framework was tested by surveying 94 companies located in Brazil with ISO 14001 certification. Results indicated that the evolution of CEM tends to occur in a manner that is counter to what has generally been described in the literature. Two evolutionary stages were identified: 1) synergy for eco-efficiency and 2) environmental legislation view, which combine variables that were initially categorized into different theoretical CEM stages. These data, obtained from a direct study of Brazilian companies, suggest that the evolution of environmental management in organizations tends to occur in a non-linear fashion, requiring a re-analysis of traditional perceptions of CEM development, as suggested by Kolk and Mauser (2002).     

The population ecology of Datura ferox in soybean crops. A simulation approach incorporating seed dispersal

A numerical model for simulating the population dynamics of Datura ferox L. (chamico, chinese thronapple) has been built based on previously reported data. In the model, a soybean field is divided into 0.7×0.7-m conceptual modules. A seed production sub-model simulates the annual seed output of each module, and a seed dispersal sub-model simulates the distribution of these propagules within the field in accordance to a specified dispersal pattern. Different model scenarios were generated by varying the proportion of seeds lost from the soil bank, the annual recruitment, the seedling mortality and the proportion of seeds exported from the field during crop harvest. The results obtained by simulation suggest that (1) seed dispersal due to crop harvesting tends to produce an exponential growth of weed seed production, (2) limited or no success could be attained in the control of D. ferox using procedures that kill the seedlings efficiently if combine harvesters are not adjusted so as to maximize the proportion of weed seeds that are exported from the field and (3) if cleaning debris continues to be returned to the ground during crop harvesting, the improvement in the efficiency of the grain/weed separating mechanisms does not provide an effective long-term strategy to avoid grain contamination problems.     

基于Esteban-Marquillas拓展模型的中国农业增长的演进特征

论文基于偏离-份额法的Esteban-Marquillas拓展模型,从份额分量、结构分量、净竞争分量和资源配置分量4方面系统研究了1985—2014年间中国农业生产规模及结构的演进特征。结果表明：1）研究期间,中国农业增加值呈现阶段式增长,种植业和牧业是导致农业增长的主要产业,黄淮海区和长江中下游区是全国农业增长的主要区域。2）八大粮食生产区农业产业份额分量均表现出先剧烈波动、后稳步增长的发展态势;各区域产业结构优势总体较弱且进一步下降;净竞争分量变化具有波动性,种植业、渔业促进区域农业总体竞争力的作用增强,林业和牧业的促进作用减弱;种植业和林业改善区域农业资源配置效应的作用增强,牧业和渔业则相对减弱。3）建议各区域结合产业发展优势,制定相关政策加强区域资源整合、农产品流通与技术合作,促进地区农业稳定发展。研究结果可为我国农业生产结构优化及差异化的发展策略制定提供依据。