Carbon footprint of dryland winter wheat under film mulching during summer-fallow season and sowing method on the Loess Plateau

Abstract To identify more carbon (C)-friendly agricultural technology, we studied the coupling impact of film mulching during summer fallow and sowing method on carbon footprint (CF) of dryland winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) on the Loess Plateau. From 2011 to 2014, a two-factor split block design was conducted with the following treatments: water-permeable film mulching in the summer fallow season (FM) or no mulching in the summer fallow season (FM0) with either conventional drill sowing (DS) or drill sowing beside a common film (DSF). The greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions associated with agricultural inputs were 7013.3, 5908.3, 5298.5, and 4193.5 kg CO 2 -eq·ha −1 ·yr −1 for FM × DSF, FM0 × DSF, FM × DS, and FM0 × DS treatments, respectively, which contributed >80% of total GHG emissions during the winter wheat production. Fertilizer, especially P 2 O 5 fertilizer, was the largest contributor to GHG emissions from agricultural inputs. The CF of dryland winter wheat was 1.14 to 3.60 kg CO 2 -eq kg −1 , which was the lowest under the FM × DS treatment while the largest under the FM × DSF treatment. Film mulching during summer fallow with drill sowing (FM × DS) could be a C-friendly technology for winter wheat production on the Loess Plateau.