Application of life cycle analysis to assess environmental sustainability of wheat cultivation in the west of Iran

Mobtaker, Hassan Ghasemi; Kaab, Ali; Rafiee, Shahin

doi:10.1016/j.energy.2019.116768

Cited by 73 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Among them, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) occupies a prominent position as a source of dietary protein and calories for the ever-burgeoning population of the world [1]. Bread wheat is widely cultivated over the world because of its great demand and cultivars that are adaptable to various environmental conditions [2]. Wheat is the most significant cereal grain and a staple diet for millions of people in Egypt, where 1.40 million hectares were planted in 2021/2022, yielding 9.0 million tons [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bread Wheat Productivity in Response to Humic Acid Supply and Supplementary Irrigation Mode in Three Northwestern Coastal Sites of Egypt

et al. 2022

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Drought stress is a major factor limiting wheat crop production worldwide. The application of humic acid (HA) and the selection of the appropriate genotype in the suitable site is one of the most important methods of tolerance of wheat plants to drought-stress conditions. The aim of this study was achieved using a three-way ANOVA, the stress tolerance index (STI), the Pearson correlation coefficient (rp), and principal component analysis (PCA). Three field experiments in three sites (Al-Qasr, El-Neguilla, and Abo Kwela) during the 2019/21 and 2020/21 seasons were conducted, entailing one Egyptian bread wheat variety (Sakha 94) with three HA rates (0, 30, and 60 kg ha−1) under normal and drought-stress conditions (supplemental irrigation). According to the ANOVA, the sites, supplemental irrigation, HA rates, and their first- and second-order interactions the grain yield and most traits evaluated (p ≤ 0.05 or 0.01) were significantly influenced in both seasons. Drought stress drastically reduced all traits registered in all factors studied compared with normal conditions. The wheat plants at the Al-Qasr site in both seasons showed significantly increased grain yield and most traits compared with that of the other sites under normal and drought-stress conditions. HA significantly promoted all studied traits under drought stress, and was highest when applying 60 kg HA ha−1, regardless of the site. The greatest grain yield and most traits monitored were observed in wheat plants fertilized with 60 kg HA ha−1 at the Al-Qasr site in both seasons under both conditions. Grain yield significantly (p ≤ 0.05 or 0.01) correlated with water and precipitation use efficiency as well as the most studied traits under normal and drought-stress conditions. The results of STI, rp, and PCA from the current study could be useful and could be used as a suitable method for studying drought-tolerance mechanisms to improve wheat productivity. Based on the results of statistical methods used in this study, we recommend the application of 60 kg HA ha−1 to improve wheat productivity under drought conditions along the north-western coast of Egypt.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bread Wheat Productivity in Response to Humic Acid Supply and Supplementary Irrigation Mode in Three Northwestern Coastal Sites of Egypt

et al. 2022

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“…This technique is broadly applicable to several fields, and food production is among them. It is possible to find publications performing LCA for meat [17], dairy [18,19], crops [20,21], and even edible insect [22] production industries. LCA has also been applied to the FC vegetables and fruit industry on several occasions [23][24][25], but none of them focused on the washing step of the process.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimizing the Environmental Profile of Fresh-Cut Produce: Life Cycle Assessment of Novel Decontamination and Sanitation Techniques

et al. 2020

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Fresh-cut vegetables, namely those that undergo processes such as washing, sorting, or chopping while keeping their fresh state, constitute an important market element nowadays. Among those operations, the washing step becomes really important due both to the extensive use of water resources and to the utilization of controversial water sanitizing agents, such as chlorine. To ideally eliminate those chlorinated compounds while decreasing water consumption, four novel filtrating technologies (pulsed corona discharge combined with nanofiltration, NF-PCD; classical ultrafiltration, UF; nanofiltration membranes integrating silver nanoparticles, NF-AgNP; and microfiltration with cellulose acetate membranes containing chitin nanocrystals, ChCA) have been proposed to eliminate any contaminating agent in recirculated water. Here, we performed a life cycle assessment (LCA) to assess the environmental effects of introducing these new solutions and to compare those impacts with the burden derived from the current strategy. The novel technologies showed a decreased environmental burden, mainly due to the enhanced water recirculation and the subsequent decrease in energy consumption for pumping and cooling the water stream. The environmental gain would be maintained even if a certain amount of chlorine was still needed. This analysis could serve as an aid to decision-making while evaluating the introduction of new sanitizing techniques.

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“…The focus of this study, and thereby this literature review section, is only on wheat cultivation. Ghasemi-Mobtaker et al [21] performed an enviro-economic analysis from an energy perspective on the wheat production systems in the Hamedan province of Iran and concluded that the said systems were using energy efficiently, though the GHG emissions could be curtailed. The conservation tillage approach for wheat cultivation, as per Nasseri [22], ensures higher productivity, a net return on investment, and a favorable benefit-cost ratio; this approach also, according to independent case studies conducted by Moradi et al [23] and Houshyar and Grundmann [24] in the Fars province of Iran, results in a higher energy efficiency and lower environmental impacts, vis-à-vis conventional cultivation methods.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Cluster Analysis on the Energy Use Indicators and Carbon Footprint of Irrigated Wheat Cropping Systems

et al. 2022

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The objective of this study is to analyze the energy use efficiency and carbon footprint of irrigated wheat systems in different Iranian provinces. The authors resort to the k-means clustering technique to fulfil the said objective. The empirical results reveal that the average total input energy (59.5 GJ ha−1) is higher than the average energy output (45.82 GJ ha−1) from wheat production, resulting in an average energy efficiency of 0.77, thus rendering the production of irrigated wheat in Iran energy-inefficient on average. Among the thirty wheat-producing Iranian provinces considered in this analysis, only six—East Azerbaijan, Golestan, Ardabil, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Alborz, and West Azerbaijan—register an energy use efficiency greater than unity. The average total of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from irrigated wheat is 2243.54 kg CO2-eq ha−1 (with electricity and diesel fuel contributing 52.4% and 29.4%, respectively). The authors categorize the clusters into five groups ranging from sustainable to unsustainable. Five of the six provinces referred to earlier fall into the ‘sustainable’ category, with Bushehr being the sixth. The wheat production units in the ‘sustainable’ category can serve as a benchmark for the clusters in the other categories, which can move up the ladder of sustainability. The authors also recommend measures that policymakers can undertake to ensure the sustainable development of wheat production in Iran, fulfilling the social imperative of food self-sufficiency while truncating the environmental footprint and ensuring economic feasibility.

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Application of life cycle analysis to assess environmental sustainability of wheat cultivation in the west of Iran

Cited by 73 publications

References 61 publications

Bread Wheat Productivity in Response to Humic Acid Supply and Supplementary Irrigation Mode in Three Northwestern Coastal Sites of Egypt

Bread Wheat Productivity in Response to Humic Acid Supply and Supplementary Irrigation Mode in Three Northwestern Coastal Sites of Egypt

Optimizing the Environmental Profile of Fresh-Cut Produce: Life Cycle Assessment of Novel Decontamination and Sanitation Techniques

A Cluster Analysis on the Energy Use Indicators and Carbon Footprint of Irrigated Wheat Cropping Systems

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