Mapping the Environmental Cost of a Typical Citrus-Producing County in China: Hotspot and Optimization

Min Yang, Quan Long, Wenli Li, Zhichao Wang, Xinhua He, Jie Wang, Xiaozhong Wang, Huaye Xiong, Chaoyi Guo, Guancheng Zhang, Bin Luo, Jun Qiu, Xinping Chen, Fusuo Zhang, Xiaojun Shi and Yueqiang Zhang
Additional contact information
Min Yang: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Quan Long: College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Wenli Li: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Zhichao Wang: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Xinhua He: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Jie Wang: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Xiaozhong Wang: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Huaye Xiong: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Chaoyi Guo: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Guancheng Zhang: Yunnan Yuntianhua Co., Ltd., Kunming 650228, China
Bin Luo: Danling County Agricultural and Rural Bureau, Meishan 620200, China
Jun Qiu: Danling County Agricultural and Rural Bureau, Meishan 620200, China
Xinping Chen: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Fusuo Zhang: College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Xiaojun Shi: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Yueqiang Zhang: College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 5, 1-18

Abstract: The environmental sustainability of the largest citrus plantation globally is facing a great challenge in China. Further, there is a lack of quantitative, regional hotspot studies. In this study, the life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to quantify the environmental cost of citrus production based on 155 farmers’ surveys from typical citrus orchards in Danling County, southwest China, which produced 0.65% of the country’s total citrus production. The results showed that the average values of environmental risk indicated by global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), and eutrophication potential (EP) were 11,665 kg CO 2 -eq ha −1 , 184 kg SO 2 -eq ha −1 , and 110 kg PO 4 -eq ha −1 , respectively. The production and utilization of fertilizer ranked the first contribution to the environmental impacts among all the environmental impacts, which contributed 92.4–95.1%, 89.4–89.8%, and 97.8–97.9% to global warming potential, acidification potential, and eutrophication potential, respectively. Specific to the contribution of fertilizers to environmental costs, the production and utilization of nitrogen (N) fertilizer accounted for more than 95% of the total environmental costs. Thus, the spatial distribution of environmental costs in this county was well matched with that of N input. Compared with the average values of investigated 155 orchards, the high yield and high N use efficiency (HH) orchard group with younger and better educated owners achieved a higher citrus yield and N use efficiency with less fertilizer input and lower environmental costs. Five field experiments conducted by local government and Danling Science and Technology Backyard were used to further certify the reduction potential of environment costs. These field results showed that the local recommendation (LR) treatment increased citrus yield and N use efficiency by 1.9–49.5% and 38.0–116%, respectively, whereas decreased environmental costs by 21.2–35.2% when compared with the local farmer practice in the HH orchard group. These results demonstrated that an optimum nutrient management based on the local field recommendation in citrus-producing areas is crucial for achieving a win-win target of productivity and environmental sustainability in China and other, similar countries.

Keywords: environmental cost; life cycle assessment; citrus; nitrogen; optimization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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