A life cycle assessment of guar agriculture

Guar gum, the main product of guar crop, is used widely in USA as an emulsifier food industry and fracturing fluid additive oil gas industry. The number one global importer guar, interest has grown to domestically cultivate USA. annual desert legume native India Pakistan. goal this study was evaluate environmental sustainability growing via a life cycle analysis (LCA). LCA helps identify information gap for US agriculture guide future field studies optimize cultivation This concluded that terms sustainability, irrigation, harvesting, P-fertilization methods offer most opportunity improved agricultural sustainability. promising because guar’s prominent characteristics its high water use efficiency ability grow marginal soils. Lowering irrigation can be implemented with simple management practice changes such optimizing irrigation. In addition, shows there trials fertilizer application rates achieve greatest yields. also found knowledge respect carbon soil fluxes emissions nitrogen phosphorus from agriculture. As considers adopting southwest, through research collaborations USDA Sustainable Bioeconomy Arid Regions Center Excellence, it will critical maximum yields (e.g., drip, flood, sprinkler) fill gaps.