Applying DEA optimization approach for energy auditing in wheat cultivation under rice-wheat and cotton-wheat cropping systems in north-western India

Abstract

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is highly energy intensive winter crop grown in rice-wheat and cotton-wheat cropping systems in north-western India. In this study, energy input-output relationships for wheat cultivation were estimated from data collected from 80 wheat producers (40 each in rice-wheat and cotton-wheat cropping system) by face-to-face survey. Energy input through irrigation water was significantly (p < 0.05) higher by 517 MJ ha-1 (14.5%) in wheat under cotton-wheat (4093 ± 133 MJ ha-1), compared with rice-wheat (3576 ± 124 MJ ha-1); while energy input difference from other sources was non-significant among cropping systems. Data pooled for cropping systems revealed that chemical fertilizers comprised ∼45%, while irrigation, electricity and diesel fuel consumption each shared ∼15% towards total input energy (EI). Wheat cultivation was energy efficient with EI of 25.6 ± 0.5 GJ ha-1 and total output energy (EO) of 191.7 ± 3.6 GJ ha-1 produced net energy gain (NEG) of 166.1 ± 3.5 GJ ha-1. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) elucidated 28 decision making units (DMUs) as energy efficient with technical score (TE) of 1.00, while 52 DMUs (∼65% of total DMUs) with TE < 1.00 were inefficient. Therefore, by the adoption of recommendations of the study, 3819 ± 641 MJ ha-1 (∼12% of EI) energy saving is possible from different inputs in wheat cultivation.