Life cycle assessment of peanut production in sole cropping and mixed intercropping with bean systems

Today, investigation on the environmental impacts of different cultural systems and determining the optimum cultivation patterns are the noteworthy topics in agricultural sector. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess and compare the environmental impacts of peanut) Arachis hypogaea L.( and peanut with bean )Phaseolus vulgaris L.) intercrop farming systems using the life cycle assessment (LCA) technique. Primary data were obtained through interviews with 136 farmers in Kiashahr region of Guilan province, Iran. Global warming, acidification, terrestrial eutrophication, land use, depletion of fossil resources, depletion of phosphate and potash resources were seven groups involved in this study. The results showed that the NH3 emission had the greatest impact in terms of the acidification and eutrophication in both peanut cultivation systems. The environmental index (EcoX) values of the peanut sole cropping and intercropping with bean were determined as 0.68 and 0.42, respectively. Resource depletion index (RDI) also were calculated as 3.61 and 2.69, for sole and intercropping systems, respectively. Depletion of fossil fuels and terrestrial eutrophication had the greatest environmental impacts in terms of categories and depletion of resources in both cultivation systems. Overall, the environmental impacts of peanut-bean intercropping were less than the peanut sole cropping system in all seven impact categories.