Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 9. Inventory of the main input mass for several agricultural
production systems in Europe
Spinelli et
al., 2013b
(Italy)
Franzese et al.,
2013 (Brazil)
Halleux et al.,
2008 (Belgium)
Input
Unit
Tsoutos et al., 2010 (Greece)
Sugar
beet
Corn
Soybean
Sunflower
Rapeseed
Sunflower
Soybean
Rapeseed
Nitrogen
fertilizer
kg/ha
81.6
-
114
230
70
70
144
135
Phosphate
fertilizer
kg/ha
64
60
92
200
-
-
74
212.5
Potassium
fertilizer
kg/ha
127
60
-
90
-
-
74
125
Pesticides
kg/ha
10.2
10.5
0.96
2
1
2.5
2.3
5.3
Diesel
kg/ha
48.1
41.6
117
n.a.
n.a.
n.a.
111.3
101
The acidification impact is caused by the emission of inorganic species like ammonia,
nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide (Neung-Hwan & Richter, 2004; Kozlowski et al., 2011).
Spinelli et al. (2013b) reported that the production of ammonium nitrate was principally
involved in eutrophication impact because of high emissions of nitrate. Conversely, the higher
direct ammonia emission from the use of urea is mainly responsible for the acidification
impact.
Another aspect that should be taken into account is the estimation on the climate change
by the use of default value for soil N
2
O emissions, usually considered to be 1%, and local
emission data of mineral nitrogen applied to soil. Spinelli et al. (2013b) have analyzed the
global greenhouse gases effect due to the use of default soil N
2
O emission factor (EF) of 1%
and the value of 0.8% derived from experimental data of a Mediterranean maize crop (Fierro
& Forte, 2012). The mineral nitrogen fertilizers, urea and ammonium nitrate, showed a
reduction of 7.8% and 4.9% for the impact of dinitrogen dioxide as greenhouse gases by
using the direct field data for the emission factor than default value. Therefore, these results
have demonstrated the need to use more precise data for the accounting. In fact, as a result of
new analysis of the available experimental data in the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National
Greenhouse Gases Inventory (IPCC, 2006) the value of EF has been changed from 1.25% to
1%, as compared to the 1996 IPCC Guidelines.
As mentioned previously, mineral nitrogen fertilizers showed a higher contribution for all
environmental impact categories than other inputs of agricultural production systems.
Therefore an environmental analysis of cultivation systems with different chemical forms of
nitrogen fertilizers would help to evaluate a reduction of environmental burdens. Brentrup et
al. (2001) reported a comparison of sugar beet production by the use of urea ammonium
nitrate, calcium ammonium nitrate and urea: urea-based fertilizers showed a higher
acidification/eutrophication impact compared to nitrate-based fertilizers. Spinelli et al.
(2013b) reported a lesser impact due to the use of urea fertilizer for carcinogenic effects,
climate change effects, ecotoxicity and minerals in the sunflower cultivation.
Conversely, use of ammonium nitrate showed limited advantages for the environmental
categories of respiratory inorganics, radiation, acidification/eutrophication and fossil fuel
consumption.
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