Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Parlier, California » San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center » Water Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #306375
Title: Evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions in relation to irrigation methods and sustainable production in California orchard

Author
item Gao, Suduan

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/28/2014
Publication Date: 8/31/2014
Citation: Gao, S. 2014. Evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions in relation to irrigation methods and sustainable production in California orchard. Conference Abstract Book of BIT’s 4th Annual World Congress of Agriculture, August 29-31, 2014, Changchun, China. p. 76.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: California (CA) is one of the top agricultural production states in the United States of America (USA). Increasing water use efficiency and minimizing environmental impact are two of the major elements affecting sustainability of irrigated agriculture in CA. Field research has been conducted to evaluate high frequency subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system on greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in comparison with the commonly used surface drip irrigation (DI) in a pomegranate orchard in the San Joaquin Valley of CA. Treatments also included three nitrogen (N) fertilizer application rates (50, 100, and 150% plant requirement based on tree leaf analyses) for each irrigation method. Data showed that both N2O and CO2 emissions were strongly affected by irrigation method. Emission fluxes of both gases from SDI were significantly lower than those from DI. There was a positive correlation between emission flux and N application rates. The data imply that while SDI has the potential to increase water and nitrogen use efficiency, it may also lead to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore the adoption of SDI in orchards in the studied region can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural fields, reduce global warming effect, and increase sustainable crop production. The findings are also applicable to other western states in the USA and other regions under similar semi-arid or arid climate around the world.