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Water and carbon footprint assessment of onion crop cultivated under differential irrigation scenarios

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Abstract

The agricultural input constraint such as irrigation, fertilizers, pesticides, fuel, and electrical energy are the key factors for increased water and carbon footprint values in atmosphere. Thus, optimal use of above mentioned farm inputs is highly needed for reduced environmental pollution. The CF and WF concepts provides a new comprehensive view, for the assesment of water and carbon footprints of onion crop cultivated under flodded and drip irrigation practices conducted at costal belt of Konkan region of Maharashtra state, India. The average CO2 emissions were computed as 22.30, 18.8, 20.46, and 20.01 t CO2 ha−1 under control, 0.8 ETC, 1.0 ETc, and 1.2 ETc irrigation scenarios, respectively. Irrespective of the growing seasons, the 1.2 ETc treatment resulted in highest onion yield (33.1 kg ha−1) among all the treatments, but with higher carbon emission rate. Whereas, the 0.8 ETc treatment was water efficient with minimum carbon emission rate, thereby forming a basis for achieving the optimal yield potential of the crop with a significant saving of water. The yield recorded during season 1 was higher by 22.8, 18.6, and 13.9% under 0.8 ETc, 1.0 ETc, and 1.2 ETc treatments, respectively, as compared to season 2. The emission rate of green WF was recorded to be significantly lower by 12.26, 23.63, and 26.97% under 0.8 ETC, 1.0 ETC, and 1.2 ETC, respectively, as compared to the control irrigation level. The higher values of green WF in control were mainly due to increased irrigation depth under flooded irrigation. The gray WF was also higher under control treatment as compared to rest of the treatments. The average CO2 emissions were recorded to be 22.30, 18.8, 20.4,6 and 20.01 t CO2 ha−1 under control, 0.8 ETC, 1.0 ETC, and 1.2 ETC irrigation scenarios. The irrigation treatment with highest amount of water application resulted in highest water and carbon footprint values, indicating an increasing trend from 0.8 ETc to 1.2 ETc during both seasons. The higher CF values in relation to irrigation were also correlated to increased water application and lower crop yields. Thus, drip irrigation coupled fertigation method may be the most possible way to reduce both WF and CF in relation to improved water and nutrient application to the crops.

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Data Availability

Data would be available from corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

ETc:

Crop evapotranspiration

CO2:

Carbon dioxide

m3 kg − 1:

Cubic meter/kilogram

WF:

Water footprint

CF:

Carbon footprint

ton ha − 1:

Ton/hectare

NHRDF:

National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation

GHGs:

Greenhouse gases

NH3:

Ammonia

CH4:

Methane

N2O:

Nitrous oxide

C:

Carbon

N:

Nitrogen

P:

Phosphorus

K:

Potassium

T min :

Minimum temperature

T max :

Maximum temperature

RH:

Relative humidity

GWP:

Global warming potential

CO:

Carbon monoxide

IPCC:

 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

t CO2eq ha − 1:

Ton carbon dioxide equivalent per hectare

WFblue :

Blue water footprint

WFgreen :

Green water footprint

WFgray :

Gray water footprint

Pe:

Effective rainfall

P:

Rainfall

USDA:

US Department of Agriculture

SCS:

Soil Conservation Service

UN:

Applied N fertilizer

δ :

Nitrogen leaching rate to freshwater

ρ o :

Permissible concentration

FAO:

Food and Agriculture Organization

Q :

Quantity of water required for white onion

Kc:

Crop coefficient

EU:

Emission uniformity

SAS:

Statistical Analysis Software

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil and Water Engineering, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, 141004, India

    Dnyaneshwar Arjun Madane & Mahesh Chand Singh

  2. Groundwater Hydrology Division, National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India, 247667

    Priyanka Sharma

  3. Department of Inter Faculty Irrigation Water Management MPKV, Rahuri, Maharashtra, India, 413722

    Mahanand Mane

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  1. Dnyaneshwar Arjun Madane
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Correspondence to Dnyaneshwar Arjun Madane.

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Madane, D.A., Singh, M.C., Sharma, P. et al. Water and carbon footprint assessment of onion crop cultivated under differential irrigation scenarios. Arab J Geosci 16, 419 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-023-11518-7

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