Identifying on-farm management practices aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from sugarcane primary production

A scoping study was undertaken to assess the potential for sugarcane growers to implement practical and effective abatement strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from sugarcane cropping. A range of management practices was explored for the Herbert River Qld region and the impact of the different agronomic regimes on annual net emissions and farm productivity were estimated using the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) and a spreadsheet based greenhouse gas calculator (GreenCalc). The results suggest that green cane trash blanketing can provide greater crop yields and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, compared with burnt systems. Further reductions in emissions may be obtained by incorporating a fallow period into the cropping cycle. Growing legumes during this period should reduce N fertilizer applications.