Baron: Environmental Footprint of Canola and Canola-Based Products
Date: April 2013
Term: n/a
Status: Completed
Researcher(s): V. Baron, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Lacombe AB, R. Lemke, AAFC Saskatoon SK, K.N. Harker and J. O’Donovan, AAFC, Lacombe, AB, Ray Desjardins, AAFC, Ottawa, ON, Murray Hartman ARD, Lacombe, AB
SaskCanola Investment: n/a
Total Project Cost: n/a
Funding Partners: AAFC, ACPC, CCC, MCGA
Project Summary
A three-part research study was conducted in western Canada to assess the environmental footprint of canola production in Canada. The results show that achieving high yields of grain dry matter and oil is essential to minimize environmental and carbon footprints. The life cycle assessment shows that agricultural research in Canada has been successful in developing crops that are not only economically successful, but sustainable. The impact is that on the whole-canola producers and the canola industry are following sustainable procedures.
Canola acreage is close to 8 million ha and 90% of the production is exported, translating to a large footprint nationally and globally. With sustainability as one of the four market issues impacting canola market accessibility, environmental impacts need to be documented along the product value chain down to the farm gate on a product intensity bases (i.e. greenhouse gas emitted/kg seed produced). Led by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) researchers in western Canada, a three-part research study was conducted from 2010 to 2013 to assess the environmental footprint of canola production in Canada.
Part 1:
In Part 1 of the study, a cradle to farm gate life cycle assessment of Western Canadian canola crop production was conducted to determine if the environmental footprint of canola had changed from 1990 to 2010. The assessment also determined if the implementation of beneficial management practices for canola production would affect its environmental footprint. The comparison of the 2010 era to the 1990 era was carried out in the Alberta Black Soil Zone. The functional unit for comparison was impact per kg canola grain (e.g. kg CO2 eq./Mg canola for the carbon footprint).
The assessment showed that improved canola hybrids were fundamental to the improved environmental impact as average yield increased by 1.6 times. As well, the fact that the hybrids are herbicide resistant reduced the amount of herbicide used and its’ environmental impact. The assessment also showed that a movement from conventional to minimum tillage enhanced carbon sequestration and reduced the fossil fuel requirement.
Between 1990 and 2010, the carbon footprint of canola grown on the Grey, Black and Brown soil zones improved from 787 to 488 kg CO2 eq. / Mg canola, from 689 to 365 kg CO2 eq. / Mg canola and from 501 to 399 kg CO2 eq. / Mg canola, respectively.
Impacts of soil carbon sequestration as a result of changing tillage practices amounted to 15 to 91 kg CO2 eq. per Mg canola seed produced. Besides improved soil carbon sequestration, change in tillage practices between 1990 and 2010 resulted in a 53 to 65 per cent overall reduction in environmental impacts because of reduced fossil fuel use per Mg of canola seed produced. Due to the reduction in herbicide use as a result of herbicide-tolerant canola all of environmental impacts have been reduced to less than 40% of 1990 herbicide impacts.
The life cycle assessment shows that agricultural research in Canada has been successful in developing crops that are not only economically successful, but sustainable. The impact is that on the whole-canola producers and the canola industry are following sustainable procedures. This should be of interest to the consumers of Canada and consumers in foreign markets.
Part 2:
Researchers conducted studies on existing long-term rotations in the brown soil zone in Saskatchewan to determine how canola production systems affect emissions of nitrous oxide, the soil nitrogen (N) balance, and the land carbon balance compared with other crops. Researchers also evaluated the continuous measurement of nitrous oxide N2O as a means of reducing uncertainty about in-field N2O–N loss estimates in Part 2 of the study.
Results from crop rotation studies at Scott, SK indicated that crops such as wheat following canola emitted significantly more N2O than those following other crops. Nitrous oxide losses were greater for canola than barley and may be related to canola residue. Generally annual emissions were low, but when wheat was grown on canola residue the accumulated emission over three years was almost double the other treatments. Results from crop rotation studies at Swift Current, SK. indicated that rotations including canola frequently in rotation should enhance the probability of increasing soil organic carbon sequestration in the semi-arid environment.
Part 3:
In Part 3, a field-scale study was conducted at Lacombe, AB using three 50 ha fields to evaluate the impact of growing high-yielding canola using high inputs and two planting dates compared to barley grown at the same planting dates and medium levels of fertilizer-inputs. The objective was to compare field-scale maximum-yield and common late-planting BMP for canola production with barley on a greenhouse gas balance and energy intensity basis.
The results of the field scale study showed that early planted canola appeared to sequester more ecosystem carbon than late-planted canola and barley. However, because more fertilizer-N is used in canola production and more residue is returned from canola to the soil than from barley, canola production may result in larger amounts of N2O emitted than barley. Chamber based emissions appear to be approximately 75 to 80% of IPCC calculated emissions. Currently canola provides more net revenue/ha than barley seeded early or late. High yields of grain DM and oil are essential to minimize environmental and carbon footprints, which appears possible with early planted canola. This shows how simple BMP can influence environmental impacts positively.
Scientific Publications
Shrestha, B.M., McConkey, B.G., Smith, W.N., Desjardins, R.L., Campbell, C.A., Grant, B.B. and Miller, P.R. 2013. Effects of crop rotation, crop type and tillage on soil organic carbon in a semi-arid climate. Can. J. Soil Sci. 93: 137-146.
Full Report PDF: Long report not available