He Yousheng, Li Minghao, Zhang Wei, Chen Xinping, Zhao Zhengxiong, Yao Zhi
College of Resources and Environment, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, 650201, China.
Interdisciplinary Research Center for Agriculture Green Development in Yangtze River Basin, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
Sci Rep. 2024 Dec 4;14(1):30254. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-80808-1.
Excessive fertilisation, improper nutrient management, and specific climatic factors are the main reasons for the high environmental risks associated with agricultural production in subtropical plateau regions. However, quantitative data of environmental impacts and emission reduction potential remain unclear. The development potential of such systems is likely to be significant. In that context, we conducted a case study in Yunnan Province, China, to quantify the environmental impact of crop production from 2002 to 2021. A life cycle assessment method was employed to identify the factors driving environmental impacts, and potential mitigation strategies were proposed. The yield and total nutrient input of grain crops in Yunnan Province increased over the 20-year period, and the environmental footprint of crop production in Yunnan Province was higher than that in other regions. The average annual mean greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, soil acidification potential (AP), and water eutrophication potential (EP) of crop production from 2002 to 2021 were 837 kg CO-eq·Mg, 15.7 kg SO-eq·Mg, and 2.71 kg PO-eq Mg, respectively. Environmental emissions from crops mainly originate from the application of agricultural inputs (including fertilisers (N, P, and K), pesticides, seed, diesel fuels, and plastic film) during the crop life cycle. There was a significant correlation between surplus nitrogen and environmental impacts. Scenario testing showed that optimised nutrient management practices could increase crop yield and reduce environmental costs. GHG emissions, AP, and EP from the production of rice, wheat, and maize are expected to decrease by 43.0-59.5%, 51.5-64.5%, and 57.4-71.5%, respectively (scenario 4, S4). Based on these findings, we propose that com-prehensive agricultural management measures can reduce the negative impacts of crop production on the environment in subtropical plateau areas and help achieve sustainable agricultural development.
过度施肥、不当的养分管理以及特定的气候因素是亚热带高原地区农业生产所带来的高环境风险的主要原因。然而，环境影响和减排潜力的定量数据仍不明确。此类系统的发展潜力可能很大。在此背景下，我们在中国云南省开展了一项案例研究，以量化2002年至2021年作物生产的环境影响。采用生命周期评估方法来确定驱动环境影响的因素，并提出了潜在的缓解策略。云南省粮食作物的产量和总养分投入在这20年期间有所增加，且云南省作物生产的环境足迹高于其他地区。2002年至2021年作物生产的年均温室气体（GHG）排放量、土壤酸化潜力（AP）和水体富营养化潜力（EP）分别为837千克二氧化碳当量·吨、15.7千克二氧化硫当量·吨和2.71千克磷当量·吨。作物的环境排放主要源于作物生命周期中农业投入品（包括肥料（氮、磷和钾）、农药、种子、柴油燃料和塑料薄膜）的施用。过量氮与环境影响之间存在显著相关性。情景测试表明，优化的养分管理措施可以提高作物产量并降低环境成本。水稻、小麦和玉米生产的温室气体排放量、土壤酸化潜力和水体富营养化潜力预计分别下降43.0 - 59.5%、51.5 - 64.5%和57.4 - 71.5%（情景4，S4）。基于这些发现，我们建议综合农业管理措施可以减少亚热带高原地区作物生产对环境的负面影响，并有助于实现农业可持续发展。
