Carbon footprint is an indicator of sustainability in rice-wheat cropping system: a review

Authors Details :
Rashmi Mittal,
Bidisha Chartkavorty ,
Renu Dhupper,
Tanu Jindal,
Ashutosh Tripathi

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Intensively cultivated rice-wheat cropping system of the Indo Gangetic plain (IGP) is a potential source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.Agriculture sector emits GHGs like methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). The total amount of GHGs emitted by a product is known as its carbon footprint (CFP).Quantification of CFP of crops will help in identifying management practices to reduce CFP of crop production. Studies related to assessing of CFP of agricultural products are lacking. The present review paper was aimed to discuss about the studies done on GHG emission from rice-wheat cropping system of the Indo Gangetic plains. The paper elaborates on what is CFP, how to calculate CFP of rice-wheat cropping system with the help of different case studies. The paper provides insights about certain agricultural management practices which can help in reducing CFP of rice-wheat cropping system. Discussion from this paper signifies the importance of carbon footprint assessment in maintaining the sustainability of rice wheat cropping system.