LCA Analysis of Grafted Tomato Seedling Production in Turkey

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MENCET YELBOĞA M. N.

SUSTAINABILITY, cilt.12, sa.1, 2020 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 12 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2020
  • Doi Numarası: 10.3390/su12010025
  • Dergi Adı: SUSTAINABILITY
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Aerospace Database, Agricultural & Environmental Science Database, CAB Abstracts, Communication Abstracts, Geobase, INSPEC, Metadex, Veterinary Science Database, Directory of Open Access Journals, Civil Engineering Abstracts
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: environmental impacts, greenhouse, Solanum lycopersicum L, nursery, ecology, LIFE-CYCLE ASSESSMENT, IMPACTS, END
  • Akdeniz Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Seedling grafting is an essential technique that is often expressed as the fusion of two different small plants to make an organism with superior properties. Grafted seedlings have strategic and economic importance because they affect the yield of other agricultural products and final product quality. However, grafted seedling production consumes more resources than normal seedlings; therefore, its environmental effects carry great importance for sustainable agricultural production whilst in life-cycle assessment (LCA) literature, little research exists about this subject. This cradle-to-farm-gate LCA study focuses on grafted tomato seedling production in Antalya, Turkey and original data compiled by face-to-face surveys with seedling producers are used. It aims to analyze and discuss the environmental impacts of energy, fertilizers, pesticides, disinfectants, peat, perlite, vermiculite, inserts, trays, grafting sticks, clips, plastic sheeting, packaging used in production. Findings reveal that coal for greenhouse heating in the energy category and expanded polystyrene (EPS) trays in supporting materials category have higher impacts. Therefore, rigid plastic alternatives of EPS with higher recycling potential are discussed. After creating a scenario to compare EPS and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) as raw materials, the results indicate that HDPE has lower damage potential than EPS in the human health, ecosystems, and resources categories.