Optimising Agricultural Water Consumption in the Catchment Area of Lake Urmia by Correcting Agricultural Operations Impact on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Due to the critical conditions of Lake Urmia, improving irrigation methods as one the effective solutions is considered by the country's water managers. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of improving agricultural activities with the aim of reducing water consumption on greenhouse gas emissions in the provinces of East Azerbaijan (five cities) and West Azerbaijan (six cities) during the autumn and spring crop season on tomato, wheat, and sugar beet crops. The results of autumn wheat cultivation showed that the amount of CO2 produced in East and West Azerbaijan decreased by 22 and 28%, respectively, compared to the control treatment. Carbon footprint in East and West Azerbaijan in the treatment compared to the control shows a decrease of 39 and 35%, respectively. The results of spring cultivation for tomatoes showed that the amount of CO2 produced in the treatment was reduced by 25% compared to the control So that this amount decreased from 3925 in the control to 2917 kg/ha in the treatment. The carbon footprint of tomato production also showed that it was equal to 0.04 in the treatment and equal to 0.06 in the control (Kg CO2/kg) and had a decrease of about 33%. For sugar beet in West Azerbaijan province, the amount of CO2 produced and carbon footprint in the treatment decreased by 11.7% and 28.5%, respectively, compared to the control.