Purpose As an essential staple crop in China, potatoes play a critical role in safeguarding national food security. However, widespread over-fertilization and suboptimal nutrient use efficiency have led to multifaceted environmental challenges. Previous studies on the environmental footprint of potato production remains fragmented, predominantly concentrating on isolated environmental indicators or geographically limited analyses. Comprehensive, high-resolution assessments integrating multiple environmental impacts are still lacking. This study assesses county‑level greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, acidification (AD), and eutrophication (EU) impacts of potato production using life cycle assessment (LCA) combined with multi‑source datasets and high‑resolution emission factors and then evaluates the contribution of region-specific nutrient management strategies to enhancing sustainability potential across different production areas. Methods We integrate provincial statistical yearbooks, official agricultural cost‑benefit reports, published studies, and spatially explicit emission factor databases into an LCA framework. Using these multi‑source data and up‑to‑date emission factors, we systematically quantify county‑level GHG, AD, and EU impacts associated with potato cultivation. We then model the sustainability benefits achievable through expert‑recommended, region‑specific nutrient management schemes across six major production zones. Results and discussion Results reveal potato production emits 18.6 Mt CO2e GHG, 65.8 kt SO2e, and 6.34 kt PO4e, respectively, which generates substantial environmental burdens. These effects demonstrate pronounced spatial heterogeneity at the county scale, and emission hotspots are concentrated in the northwest and southwest regions, where high nitrogen fertilizer use and irrigation electricity consumption per unit area—along with large production areas—are the primary drivers of elevated environmental emissions. Our analysis further demonstrates that implementing spatially optimized nutrient management strategies could concurrently reduce GHG, AD, and EU impacts by 19%, 10%, and 13%, respectively, while boosting potato yields by 36.3 Mt. Notably, both yield enhancement and environmental mitigation potentials exhibit marked regional disparities. Conclusions This study presents a comprehensive assessment of the environmental impacts and emission reduction potential of potato production at the county level in China. Our study establishes a scientific foundation for developing tailored green technologies in potato production systems, thereby accelerating the industry’s transition toward sustainable, low-carbon, and environmentally resilient practices.

Towards sustainable potato production through optimal nutrient management in China

期刊论文
发表日期：

2025年7月16日

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Yifei Wu,
Mengyao Xu,
Xu Wang,
Minghao Zhuang

摘要

Purpose

As an essential staple crop in China, potatoes play a critical role in safeguarding national food security. However, widespread over-fertilization and suboptimal nutrient use efficiency have led to multifaceted environmental challenges. Previous studies on the environmental footprint of potato production remains fragmented, predominantly concentrating on isolated environmental indicators or geographically limited analyses. Comprehensive, high-resolution assessments integrating multiple environmental impacts are still lacking. This study assesses county‑level greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, acidification (AD), and eutrophication (EU) impacts of potato production using life cycle assessment (LCA) combined with multi‑source datasets and high‑resolution emission factors and then evaluates the contribution of region-specific nutrient management strategies to enhancing sustainability potential across different production areas.

Methods

We integrate provincial statistical yearbooks, official agricultural cost‑benefit reports, published studies, and spatially explicit emission factor databases into an LCA framework. Using these multi‑source data and up‑to‑date emission factors, we systematically quantify county‑level GHG, AD, and EU impacts associated with potato cultivation. We then model the sustainability benefits achievable through expert‑recommended, region‑specific nutrient management schemes across six major production zones.

Results and discussion

Results reveal potato production emits 18.6 Mt CO₂e GHG, 65.8 kt SO₂e, and 6.34 kt PO₄e, respectively, which generates substantial environmental burdens. These effects demonstrate pronounced spatial heterogeneity at the county scale, and emission hotspots are concentrated in the northwest and southwest regions, where high nitrogen fertilizer use and irrigation electricity consumption per unit area—along with large production areas—are the primary drivers of elevated environmental emissions. Our analysis further demonstrates that implementing spatially optimized nutrient management strategies could concurrently reduce GHG, AD, and EU impacts by 19%, 10%, and 13%, respectively, while boosting potato yields by 36.3 Mt. Notably, both yield enhancement and environmental mitigation potentials exhibit marked regional disparities.

Conclusions

This study presents a comprehensive assessment of the environmental impacts and emission reduction potential of potato production at the county level in China. Our study establishes a scientific foundation for developing tailored green technologies in potato production systems, thereby accelerating the industry’s transition toward sustainable, low-carbon, and environmentally resilient practices.