Life Cycle Assessment-Based Environmental Impacts of Dwarf Apple Production System: A Case Study on China’s Loess Plateau

Dwarf apple trees are increasingly cultivated in China, whereas their environmental and economic performance remain insufficiently quantified. Here, life cycle assessment (LCA) and grouping methods are jointly conducted to quantify the environmental risks and mitigation potentials of dwarf apple production systems based on survey data from 110 growers on China’s Loess Plateau. Based on apple yield and the partial factor productivity of nitrogen fertilizer (PFP-N), the growers’ orchards were grouped into LL (low yield + low PFP-N), LH (low yield + high PFP-N), HL (high yield + low PFP-N), and HH (high yield + high PFP-N). Results showed that farm-averaged total energy depletion (ED), global warming potential (GWP), eutrophication potential (EP), and acidification potential (AP) were 3444 MJ t−1, 498 kg CO2-eq t−1, 0.992 kg PO43-eq t−1, and 3.494 kg SO2-eq t−1, respectively. Over 85.0% of ED and GWP occurred at the agricultural material stage, while AP and EP were mainly generated at the orchard management stage. The ED, GWP, EP, and AP differed significantly among the four groups. Considering apple yield, environmental pollution index, and economic analysis, the HH group increased apple yield by 11.4–188%, reduced environment risks by 52.0–84.8%, and increased economic returns by 39.0–425%, compared with LL, LH and HL. This study highlights the importance of farm best management practices to efficiently achieve yield–environmental–economic benefits in dwarf apple production systems.