CARBON FOOTPRINT OF VINEYARD PRODUCTION

Carbon footprint of mechanized vineyard production in Slovenia was determined. An analysis of the carbon footprint in the case of conventional, integrated and organic vineyard production for the three sizes of vineyard farms was made. In all mechanized working operations in vineyard production, energy of mineral diesel fuel is used to power tractors with connected machines, or in the case of mechanical harvesting of the grapes with self-propelled machines - arvesters for grapes. For the carbon footprint analysis CO2 emissions from the consumption of mineral diesel fuel for powering farm machinery (direct energy consumed in the process of production in vineyards) were used. In addition to the CO2 emissions from the mineral diesel fuel used in the vineyard production, also were covered greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the use of organic and mineral fertilizers in the production and converted to equivalent CO2. In the case of conventional production in vineyards, provided is use of mineral fertilizers, in integrated vineyard production combination of mineral and organic fertilizers and in organic vineyard production only usage of organic fertilizers. The sum of CO2 emissions resulting from mineral diesel fuel and CO2 equivalent emissions from fertilizers used in the vineyard production process, results in the final emissions of CO2equ./t crop - grapes vineyard production. It has been found that emissions of CO2equ./t crop - grapes, are the lowest in integrated, higher in conventional and highest in the organic vineyard production.