Life cycle assessment (LCA) of potato production

Abstract

The paper analyses the detailed structure of the environmental footprint of technologies used for potato production on plantations covering areas of various sizes. The research was conducted for potato cultivation in Lesser Poland. In order to determine the environmental impact with the LCA method, the SimaPro application was used, ver. 8.1.0.60. The "cradle-to-gate" approach was adopted, taking into account the type of technological practices, as well as machines, duration of their operation, number of seed potatoes, fertilisers, pesticides, used fuel and water. The final results were referred to the area of cultivation (1 ha). It was, for instance, found that one of the greatest impact factors of potato cultivation affecting the natural environment is the use of seed potatoes and relatively high consumption of diesel.

Life Cycle Assessment to Highlight the Environmental Burdens of Early Potato Production

“…According to Kowalczyk [25], sowing represents one of the principal hotspots of potatoes production as well as growing phase that account the impacts related to tillage operations, fertilization, and pest control. Even if a side-by-side comparison of results is not possible because of the different LCIA method used in our study, the contribution analysis shows a general overlapping of results obtained in [25], in which sowing represent on about 35%, harvesting 15% and growing, as sum of tillage, fertilization, chemical plant protection and transports represent on average 50% of total impacts. Obviously, the comparison of contribution analyses must take into account the differences between a midpoint method which expresses impacts according to different categories and an endpoint method used to obtain a single impact score, therefore the result of normalization and weighting of characterization results.…”

“…The (Solanum tuberosum L.) potato is one of the most popular edible plants in the world. This tuberous crop if important for human and animal nutrition and is cultivated under various climatic conditions [25]. Early potato peculiarities are linked to the precocity of the production cycle, which is also able to influence the profitability trend of farms as long as the product arrives on the market when prices are high and there is less competition with potatoes from other production areas [26,27].…”

Comparative life cycle assessment of environmental impacts and economic feasibility of tomato cultivation systems in northern plains of India

“…Moreover, it's worth highlighting that most of the existing research has primarily centered on European countries, where farm sizes tend to be larger 35 , and technological advancements are more prevalent 36 . In addition, prior investigations into tomato production systems have mainly focused on the overall environmental impact of the entire production process, with limited attention given to specific field operations.…”

Water–Energy–Food Nexus and Life Cycle Thinking: A New Approach to Environmental and Nutritional Assessment of Potato Chips

“…Potato ( Solanum tuberosum ) is one of the most popular edible plants in the world [ 1 ], ranking third in consumed crops, with an annual global production of 370 million tons [ 2 ]. So far, its cultivation has grown unstoppably in developed countries, but it is now expanding strongly in some developing regions [ 3 ], driven mainly by its versatility, short maturity period, nutritious characteristics, and employment and income opportunity, making it a resilient cash crop and an indispensable asset against food insecurity [ 4 ].…”