The life cycle of rice: LCA of alternative agri-food chain management systems in Vercelli (Italy)

Journal of Environmental Management

Volumn 90, Issue 3, 2009, Pages 1512-1522

  Blengini, Gian Andrea ^a   Busto, Mirko ^a  

^a POLITECNICO DI TORINO   (Italy)

Author keywords

Capital goods; Life cycle assessment; Organic farming; Rice; Sustainable agriculture

Indexed keywords

CHAINS; ENERGY UTILIZATION; ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT; FARMS; FOOD PROCESSING; LANDFORMS;

CAPITAL GOODS; CHAIN MANAGEMENT; FOOD CHAIN; LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT; LIFE CYCLE OF RICE; ORGANIC FARMING; ORGANICS; RICE; RICE PRODUCTION; SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE;

LIFE CYCLE;

AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT; ALTERNATIVE AGRICULTURE; CROP PRODUCTION; ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT; EUROPEAN UNION; EXPORT; LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS; ORGANIC FARMING; PADDY FIELD; RICE;

EURASIA; EUROPE; ITALY; PIEDMONT [ITALY]; SOUTHERN EUROPE; VERCELLI;

EID: 58049166144     PISSN: 03014797     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2008.10.006     Document Type: Article

References (51)

1. Allavena, L., Monti, A., 2007. Water requirement evaluation for a rice crop irrigated with a water saving technique based on intermittent submersion and soil matric potential scheduling. In: Proceedings of the ICID 22nd European Regional Conference, 2-7 September 2007, Pavia, Italy, pp. 1-8.
2. APAT. Italian Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1990-2003 (2005). http://www.apat.it Available from:
3. Audsley E., Alber S., Clift R., Cowell S., Crettaz P., Gaillard G., Hausheer J., Jolliett O., Kleijn R., Mortensen B., Pearce D., Roger E., Teulon H., Weidema B., and Zeits H. Report on Concerted Action AIR3-CT94-2028. "Harmonisation of Environmental Life Cycle Assessment for agriculture" (1997), European Commission, DG VI Agriculture, Brussels 103 p
4. Bailey A.P., Basford W.D., Penlington N., Park J.R., Keatinge J.D.H., Rehman T., Tranter R.B., and Yates C.M. A comparison of energy use in conventional and integrated arable farming systems in the UK. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 97 (2003) 241-253
5. Baldi G., Malagoni R., and Giovannini G. Studi sulla possibilità di coltivazione del riso con coltivazione turnata. Il riso 23 (1974) 21-41
6. Berruto, R., Busato, P., 2007. Rice mechanization vs. farm sizes: study of technical and economic aspects by means of web application. In: Bocchi, S., Ferrero, A., Porro, A. (Eds.), Fourth Temperate Rice Conference, Novara, Italy, pp. 34-35.
7. Boustead I., and Hancock G.F. Handbook of Industrial Energy Analysis (1979), EllisHorwood, John Wiley, Chichester, New York. 0-85312-064-1
8. Breiling M., Hashimoto S., Sato Y., and Ahamer G. Rice-related greenhouse gases in Japan, variations in scale and time and significance for the Kyoto protocol. Paddy and Water Environment. 3 (2005) 39-46
9. Callegarin, A.M., 2000. Coltivazione del riso senza sommersione: studio preliminare sull'impiego dell'irrigazione per aspersione. In: Proceedings of the X Convegno Internazionale sulla Risicoltura, 16-18 Novembre 1988, Vercelli, Italy, pp. 695-700.
10. Carpi G., Rovere P., and Dall'aglio G. Riso parboiled a cottura rapida. Industria conserve 67 4 (1992) 461-465
11. Dan J., Kruger M., Frenzel P., and Conrad R. Effect of a late season urea fertilization on methane emission from a rice field in Italy. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 83 1 (2001) 191-199
12. Deepanjan M. Methane and nitrous oxide emission from irrigated rice fields: proposed mitigation strategies. Current Science 84 10 (2003) 1317-1326
13. ECOINVENT. Life Cycle Inventories of Production Systems (2004), Swiss Centre for Life Cycle Inventories. http://www.ecoinvent.ch Available from:
14. Ente Risi. Coltivazione del riso con metodo biologico risultati del triennio 2002-2004. Quaderni della ricerca 51 (2004) 1-45
15. Ente Risi. Riso: Evoluzione di mercato e sue prospettive (2007). http://www.enterisi.it/doc/relazione%20definitiva.pdf Available from:
16. FAOSTAT. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome Italy, FAO Statistical Database (2007). http://www.fao.org Available from:
17. Ferrero, A., Tabacchi, M., 2000. L'ottimizzazione del diserbo del riso. In: Proceedingsof the SIRFI: Il controllo della flora infestante: un esempio di ottimizzazione a vantaggio dell'ambiente e della produzione, Milano, pp. 111-150.
18. Finassi, A., 1990. Mechanical powered technology for rice cultivation in Italy. In: Proceedings of the 17th Session of International Rice Commission, FAO, Goiania, Brazil.
19. Greppi D., Vallino M., Lanzanova C., Cavigiolo S., and Lupotto E. Risicoltura e risparmio idrico: adattabilità della coltura. Dal seme 1 (2007) 51-54
20. Grignani C., Zavattaro L., and Finassi A. Lo studio del bilancio dell'azoto in risaia. In: Greppi M., and Polelli M. (Eds). Ricerche avanzate per innovazioni nel sistema agricolo: L'impatto ambientale delle agro-tecnologie in risicoltura (1997), CNR-RAISA, Franco Angeli, Milano 192-210
21. Harada H., Kobayashi H., and Shindo H. Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by no-tilling rice cultivation in Hachirogata polder, northern Japan: life-cycle inventory analysis. Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 53 (2007) 668-677
22. Høgaas Eide M. Life cycle assessment (LCA) of industrial milk production. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 7 2 (2002) 115-126
23. Hou A.X., Chen G.X., Wang Z.P., Cleemput O.V., and Patrick Jr. W.H. Methane and nitrous oxide emissions from a rice field in relation to soil redox and microbiological processes. Soil Science Society of America Journal 64 (2000) 2180-2186
24. IPCC. Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (1996). Available from: http://www.ipcc.ch/
25. IPCC, 2001. Intergovernmental panel on climate change 2001: 6.12.2 Direct GWPs. In: IPCC Third Assessment Report Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis. Available from: http://www.ipcc.ch/.
26. IPCC. Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (2006). http://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/index.htm Available from:
27. ISO 14040. Environmental management: Life cycle assessment, Principles and guidelines (2006), International Organization for Standardization, Geneva
28. ISO 14042. Environmental management: Life cycle assessment, Requirements and guidelines (2006), International Organization for Standardization, Geneva
29. Kewei Y., and Patrick Jr. W.H. Redox range with minimum nitrous oxide and methane production in a rice soil under different pH. Soil Science Society of America 67 (2003) 1952-1958
30. 4 emissions from microcosms and rice fields. Global Change Biology 9 (2003) 773-784
31. Leip, A., Seufert, G., Bocchi, S., Conen, F., 2007. Measurements of greenhouse gas emissions from rice cultivation in Italy, in: Bocchi, S., Ferrero, A., Porro, A. (Eds.), Fourth Temperate Rice Conference, Novara, Italy, pp. 30-31.
32. Moletti M. La coltivazione del riso senza sommersione in Italia. L'Informatore Agrario XLV 9 (1989) 141-148
33. Moletti M. Due tecniche alternative per coltivare il riso. Terra e Vita XXXI 6 (1990) 24-28
34. Neue H.U. Fluxes of methane from rice fields and potential for mitigation. Soil Use and Management 13 (1997) 258-267
35. Oki T., Sato M., Kawamura A., Miyake M., Kanae S., and Musiake K. Virtual water trade to Japan and in the world. In: Hoekstra A.Y. (Ed). Virtual water trade (2003), IHE Delft, The Netherlands 221-233. http://www.waterfootprint.org/Reports/Report12.pdf Available from:
36. 4 Austräge für die Ökobilanzierung. Arbeitspapier FAL (2002) 19 p
37. Regione Piemonte. Inventario Regionale delle Emissioni in Atmosfera (IREA) (2005). http://extranet.regione.piemonte.it/ambiente/aria/emissioni/irea05.htm Available from:
38. Regione Piemonte. Piano direttore regionale per l'approvvigionamento idropotabile e l'uso integrato delle risorse idriche, finalizzato al risanamento, al risparmio, alla tutela, alla riqualificazione e all'utilizzo a scopo multiplo delle acque in piemonte (2007). http://www.regione.piemonte.it/acqua/piano.htm 152 p
39. Roy P., Shimizu N., Okadome H., Shiina T., and Kimura T. Life cycle of rice: challenges and choices for Bangladesh. Journal of Food Engineering 79 4 (2007) 1250-1255
40. Sahrawat K.L. Nitrification inhibitors for controlling emission from submerged rice soils. Current Science 87 8 (2004) 1084-1087
41. Schütz H., Holzapfel-Pschorn A., Conrad R., and Rennenberg H. A three-year continuous record on the influences of daytime, season and fertiliser treatment on methane emission rates from an Italian rice paddy. Journal of Geophysical Research 94 (1989) 405-416
42. SEMC. MSR 1999:2 - Requirements for Environmental Product Declarations (2000), Swedish Environmental Management Council. http://www.environdec.com Available from:
43. SimaPro. Software and Database Manual (2006), Pré Consultants BV, Amersfoort, The Netherlands
44. 2O production in alluvial soils. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 62 5 (1999) 584-590
45. Tilman D., Fargione J., Wolff B., D'Antonio C., Dobson A., Howarth R., Schindler D., Schlesinger W.H., Simberloff D., and Swackhamer D. Forecasting agriculturally driven global environmental change. Science 292 (2001) 281-284
46. Tinker, P.B., 2001. Organic farming, nutrient management and productivity. In: Proceeding 471. The International Fertilizer Society. Available from: http://www.fertiliser-society.org/Proceedings/US/Prc471.HTM.
47. Watanabe A., Kajiwara M., Tashiro T., and Kimura M. Influence of rice cultivar on methane emission from paddy fields. Plant and Soil 176 1 (1995) 51-56
48. Wenjun Z., Yanhong Q., and Zhiguo Z. A long-term forecast analysis on worldwide land uses. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 119 1-3 (2006) 609-620
49. Wichelns D. The role of 'virtual water' in efforts to achieve food security and other national goals, with an example from Egypt. Agricultural Water Management 49 (2001) 131-151
50. Williams A.G., Audsley E., and Sandars D.L. Final Report to Defra on Project IS0205: Determining the Environmental Burdens and Resource Use in the Production of Agricultural and Horticultural Commodities (2005), Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra), London. http://www2.defra.gov.uk/research/Project_Data/More.asp%3FI%3DIS0205%26M%3DKWS%26V%3DERM Available from:
51. Zavattaro L., Romani M., Sacco D., Bassanino M., and Grignani C. Fertilization management of paddy fields in Piedmont and its effects on the soil and water quality. Paddy and Water Environment 4 1 (2006) 61-66