The carbon cost of main agricultural products in North China Plain

In order to get a clear understanding of the carbon cost of agricultural production, this paper, based on the investigation data of the farmer´s production, applying C cost model, evaluated the carbon cost of three major agricultural products in North China Plain. The results are as follows: the carbon cost of wheat, maize and cotton are 583.80±148.29, 300.82±87.86 and 176.37±53.87 kg CO2e/t, respectively, in which chemical fertilizer accounts for about 65%, electricity accounts for about 22%, diesel accounts for about 6%, seed accounts for about 5%, and pesticides accounts for about 1%. The carbon cost of wheat and maize are negatively correlated with cropping scopes, but there is no significant difference in cotton at different cropping scopes. The result can provide powerful support for achieving low-carbon agriculture and low-carbon economy.