Evaluation of crop productivity, water and nitrogen use, and carbon footprint of summer peanut - winter wheat cropping systems in the North China Plain

Abstract

The introduction of legumes into the cropping system has been considered as an effective and alternative way to reduce nitrogen (N) input and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, and boost system productivity. However, the productivity, water and N use, and carbon emission of legume-based cropping systems in the North China Plain were not well-documented. Here, a 2-year field experiment was conducted to compare the yield, water and N use, and carbon footprint (CF) of summer peanut–winter wheat (PW) and summer maize–winter wheat (MW) cropping systems. Results showed that the experimental year significantly affected system productivity and water use efficiency of PW and MW. PW increased annual equivalent yield and water consumption by 10.1% and 12.9% in the first year (p < 0.05), compared with MW. Yet, PW decreased annual net income by 8.6% on average during the two experimental years. PW lowered annual N input by 12.1% compared with MW; however, no significant difference in apparent N use efficiency was found between PW and MW. Moreover, PW decreased its annual CF by 13.0%, which was attributed to the lower indirect GHGs emission from N input of summer peanut. In summary, PW showed considerable potential in reducing N fertilizer input and CF, with acceptable economic loss and water consumption in the North China Plain.