Carbon Footprint Analysis of Processing Tomato Cultivation in Greece

Agriculture contributes to global warming through the emissions of greenhouse gasses (GHGs). As one of the most important horticultural crops, tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is of great economic importance.  Approximately 80% of the tomatoes grown around the world are processed into sauces, juices, ketchup, canned tomatoes, and soups. The goal of the present study was to assess the carbon footprint of commercially grown processing tomatoes in Greece. The emissions were calculated by using the Cool Farm Tool software. For data collection, a questionnaire was distributed to processing tomato producers. The questionnaires were completed by 40 producers from the main processing tomato-growing regions of Greece. The estimated total carbon footprint value of tomato cultivation for a mean area of 7.16 ha (producing 94.8 tn of tomatoes per ha) was 1,369,700 kg CO2-eq. Specifically, the estimated carbon footprint values per hectare and kg of fruit were 191,298.88 and 0.20 kg CO2-eq, respectively. In addition, the current study revealed that the highest CO2-eq emissions per tonne of fruit were observed in energy use (fuel consumption) for field operations, corresponding to 40.49% of the total emissions per tonne of product

Influence of Urea Fertilization with and without Inhibitors on Growth and Yield of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) under Different Tillage Practices

Nitrogen fertilization is important for plant development. Because of the problems caused by urea, which is mainly used in nitrogen fertilizers, new types of fertilizers have inhibitors, that control the fertile disposal in soil. In addition, tillage practice is important in order to maintain soil productivity and prepare a good seedbed. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of implications of urea fertilizer with and without nitrification (MPA) and urease inhibitor (NBPT), and conventional and no-tillage systems on plant growth and yield of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) crop. A field experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with four replications, two main plots (conventional and no-tillage system), and three sub-plots (control, urea with and without nitrification and urease inhibitors). The results indicated that fertilization significantly affected plant height, dry weight, seed yield and number of capitula and the highest values observed with urea with urease inhibitor. Tillage practice influenced the number of capitula and number of seeds per capitulum, and the higher numbers were found under conventional tillage. The findings of the present study imply that urea fertilizer with nitrification and urease inhibitors was very efficient and contributed a notable impact on the plant growth and yield of safflower