COMPARATIVE LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT STUDY OF THREE WINTER WHEAT PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
Three different winter wheat production systems for three European countries (United Kingdom, France and Italy), all with
different climatic conditions, soil management and input levels (e.g. tillage, fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides) were analysed
from an environmental perspective. The intended applications were the analysis and comparison from a Life Cycle Assessment
(LCA) perspective and the identification of the key parameters which have the greatest influence on final results. The analysis
considered the entire production system, including the extraction of raw materials, production of farming inputs and all
agricultural operations. The adoption of LCA was considered the most appropriate methodology to define the environmental
impact. The functional unit considered was 1 hectare of winter wheat production. The results showed that the impact due to
machinery use was mostly dependent on the number of interventions related to the application of fertilizers, herbicides and plant
protection. Emissions due to on-field fertilizer application and their production also showed a significant contribution for each
impact category showing percentages reaching 90% of the total, whereas the impact due to fungicides and herbicides were
negligible, since their contribution never exceeded 4% of the total emissions. Emissions to soil, air and water were affected by
factors such as local weather conditions and soil characteristics, which can vary on a local scale, the time of farming activities, N,
P and K uptake by the plants, amount and typology of fertilizers adopted. Nitrate losses from arable cropping may be reduced by
limiting N-based fertilizer inputs.