The main objective of this study was to assess how much greenhouse gas (GHG) is emitted on average in the life cycle of basic cereals production in Poland. The crops included in the study are winter and spring wheat, winter and spring barley, winter and spring triticale, winter rye and spring oats. The data were taken from the national-scale, multi-environmental trials in 89 locations for years 2010-2015. The research also included comparison of two agrotechnical intensity levels: moderate with the use of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus fertilization, insecticides, herbicides and pre-sowing treatment -a 1 , and intensive with the additional use of fungicides, growth regulator and higher nitrogen fertilization rate -a 2 , for most cereal species. The results are expressed in the amount of greenhouse gas emitted per hectare and per kilogram of grain in cereal production and also contain the uncertainties attributed to the greenhouse gas emission calculated as propagation of error. The lowest emission for the levels a 1 and a 2 was estimated in the production of winter rye (0.254 ± 0.012 and 0.285 ± 0.014 kg CO 2 eq. kg -1 , respectively). The highest emission in the a 1 level was estimated for spring triticale (0.308 ± 0.021 kg CO 2 eq. kg -1 ) and in the a 2 level for spring wheat (0.334 ± 0.016 kg CO 2 eq. kg -1 ). The conclusion of the study was that the main source of greenhouse gas emission from cereal production in Poland is nitrogen fertilizer use. It was also found that in most crops greenhouse gas emissions per unit of produced grain increased with the crop production intensification. It happens mostly due to the plant nitrogen over-fertilization.
The biogas cycle is an integrated system for the use of natural resources, disposal of organic waste, recycling and distribution of fertiliser components. Therefore, it also involves production of renewable energy, which brings both energy and environmental or even agricultural benefits. The production of agricultural biogas in Poland is becoming increasingly common year by year and the amount of biogas produced depends on more different substrates than a few years ago. Volumes of electricity produced at Polish biogas plants differ significantly from the desirable amounts. The same applies to heat. Because the amount of produced biogas depends essentially on the composition of the substrates used in practice, exact calculation is virtually impossible as a rule, because of lack of data on the concentrations of various nutrients contained in the most frequently mixed substrates. Moreover, all such computations should be performed on one hundred percent decomposed organic matter, which is impossible in practice. Nevertheless, if the amount of biogas produced is already known, all further computations become easier. Owing to the quarterly reporting obligation imposed on operators of the installations by applicable provisions of the law, we are able to analyse the presented data. This paper is based on official information provided by the Agricultural Market Agency and the authors also set themselves the goal of finding a link between the results of the Polish biogas plants and the deteriorating legislative situation of renewable energy sources in the country. Discussion concerning the results of the carried out analyses emphasizes the high biomass potential for biogas production in the Polish conditions.
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