The LIFE Innocereal EU project, co-funded by the LIFE programme of the European Union (EU), whose main objective is the sustainable production of cereals, continues its work to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
So far, and after the first 18 months of project development, several achievements have been made by the members of LIFE Innocereal EU, starting with the publication of a Manual of Good Practices for cereal production, in which 11 sustainable practices have been included, which have been carried out in the network of demonstration farms in the countries of the Mediterranean basin, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece, and in the pilot farm, located on the Rabanales Campus of the University of Cordoba.
The objective of these Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), which are being evaluated in durum wheat, soft wheat and barley crops, is to be able to implement the ‘Certified Low Emission Cereal’ (CCBE) certificate and its subsequent certification of the products derived from these cereals.
One of the most important milestones achieved so far with these sustainable practices on the demonstration farms located in Spain is the 37% reduction in fuel use. With the implementation of GHPs, GHG emissions per kilogram of cereal harvested have been reduced for all the crops studied.
These GHPs have also been implemented on the pilot farm ‘Rabanales’ at the University of Cordoba, the results of which have shown a 55% reduction in fuel consumption and an 11.4% reduction in production costs compared to a plot under conventional management. In total, cereal production was 17% higher thanks to the use of GAPs, with a consequent increase in profits.
In addition, the implementation of GAPs on the LIFE Innocereal EU pilot farm has led to a 27% reduction in emissions associated with energy use, farm operations and inputs. Not only that, but the use of GAPs has resulted in a 39.4% reduction in equivalent emissions per tonne of grain harvested.
Other trials related to the fertilisation of the cereals under study have also been implemented on the pilot farm, where the use of biostimulants and optimisation of fertiliser dosage showed a 30% reduction in total nitrogen fertilisation, leading to a significant increase in cereal yields.
Finally, it should be noted that the CCBE certificate for the cereals studied and their derivatives produced in a sustainable way, thanks to the application of GAPs, will be ready for implementation by mid-2024, as will the farmer alert system, based on the identification of anomalies in the behaviour of cereal crops.