Is Agriculture Always a GHG Emitter? A Combination of Eddy Covariance and Life Cycle Assessment Approaches to Calculate C Intake and Uptake in a Kiwifruit Orchard

Federica Rossi, Camilla Chieco, Nicola Di Virgilio, Teodoro Georgiadis and Marianna Nardino
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Federica Rossi: Institute of BioEconomy, National Research Council, 40129 Bologna, Italy
Camilla Chieco: Institute of BioEconomy, National Research Council, 40129 Bologna, Italy
Nicola Di Virgilio: Institute of BioEconomy, National Research Council, 40129 Bologna, Italy
Teodoro Georgiadis: Institute of BioEconomy, National Research Council, 40129 Bologna, Italy
Marianna Nardino: Institute of BioEconomy, National Research Council, 40129 Bologna, Italy

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 12, 1-14

Abstract: While a substantial reduction of GHG (greenhouse gases) is urged, large-scale mitigation implies a detailed and holistic knowledge on the role of specific cropping systems, including the effect of management choices and local factors on the final balance between emissions and removals, this last typical of cropping systems. Here, a conventionally managed irrigated kiwifruit orchard has been studied to assess its greenhouse gases emissions and removals to determine its potential action as a C sink or, alternately, as a C source. The paper integrates two independent approaches. Biological CO 2 fluxes have been monitored during 2012 using the micrometeorological Eddy covariance technique, while life cycle assessment quantified emissions derived from the energy and material used. In a climatic-standard year, total GHG emitted as consequence of the management were 4.25 t CO 2 -eq −1 ha −1 yr −1 while the net uptake measured during the active vegetation phase was as high as 4.9 t CO 2 ha −1 yr −1 . This led to a positive contribution of the crop to CO 2 absorption, with a 1.15 efficiency ratio (sink-source factor defined as t CO 2 stored/t CO 2 emitted). The mitigating activity, however, completely reversed under extremely unfavorable climatic conditions, such as those recorded in 2003, when the efficiency ratio became 0.91, demonstrating that the occurrence of hotter and drier conditions are able to compromise the capability of Actinidia to offset the GHG emissions, also under appropriate irrigation.

Keywords: carbon balance; mitigation; emissions; efficiency ratio; irrigated agriculture; life cycle assessment; Actinidia deliciosa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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