Addressing concerns about future food supply and climate change requires management practices that maximize productivity per unit of arable land while reducing negative environmental impact. On-farm data were evaluated to assess energy balance and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of irrigated maize in Nebraska that received large nitrogen (N) fertilizer (183 kg of N⋅ha−1) and irrigation water inputs (272 mm or 2,720 m3 ha−1). Although energy inputs (30 GJ⋅ha−1) were larger than those reported for US maize systems in previous studies, irrigated maize in central Nebraska achieved higher grain and net energy yields (13.2 Mg⋅ha−1 and 159 GJ⋅ha−1, respectively) and lower GHG-emission intensity (231 kg of CO2e⋅Mg−1 of grain). Greater input-use efficiencies, especially for N fertilizer, were responsible for better performance of these irrigated systems, compared with much lower-yielding, mostly rainfed maize systems in previous studies.
Technology Partners: MimirTech
Links:
[1] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/feature-article/high-yield-maize-large-net-energy-yield-and-small-global-warming-intensity
[2] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/patricio-grassini
[3] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/author/kenneth-g-cassman
[4] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/journal/proceedings-national-academy-sciences
[5] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/agriculture
[6] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/climate-change
[7] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/global-warming
[8] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/food-security
[9] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/united-states-america-us
[10] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/agricultural-inputs
[11] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/green-house-gases
[12] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/maize
[13] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/irrigation
[14] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/chemical-fertilisers
