Environmental impact of greenbean cultivation: Comparison of screen greenhouses vs. open field

An analysis and evaluation have been conducted to assess the environmental impact of greenbean cultivation grown under different cropping alternatives, using the life-cycle analysis (LCA) in a highland area of Southeastern Spain. The cropping systems applied in this study were a greenbean crop grown in a screen greenhouse (G), in a screen greenhouse equipped with a misting system (GM) and in the open field (OF). The phases taken into account in the LCA study were two: infrastructure system and crop cycle. In the categories considered, the subsystems that generated the greatest impact were: wastes, misting management and infrastructure. From the comparison of the different alternatives proposed for producing greenbeans, the most and the least environmental-friendly options were the screen-covered-greenhouse with a misting system (GM) and the screen-covered-greenhouse without a misting system (G), respectively.