Contribution of Production Inputs to Energy Consumption in Wheat Production System for Providing a Solution to Improve Energy Consumption

Abstract

Agriculture is a system exhibiting high levels of energy consumption. Thus, energy analysis is crucial for improving the energy efficiency of agricultural systems. In this research, the input energy of an irrigated wheat production system, including seeds, machinery, fertilizer, irrigation, electricity, diesel fuel and human labour, were determined and thereby the net output energy, energy efficiency and energy productivity were calculated for energetic system evaluation. For reaching this goal, 110 farmers were asked to complete the questionnaires in which cultivation information such as machinery, diesel fuel, grain produced per hectare, cultivation method, the method and the duration of water supply, workers, chemical materials which were used for plant treatment. The results showed that the total input energy for producing irrigated wheat was 42,481 MJ.ha-1. Energy efficiency was achieved as 1.56, suggesting that the total output energy of the system was more than the input energy. The net output energy, indicating the rate of obtained net energy from the system, was 23,819 MJ.ha-1. Electricity and fertilizer were the inputs consuming the most energy in an irrigated wheat production system, in which 41% and 31% of the total consumed energy were devoted to electricity and fertilizer, respectively. Therefore, the appropriate management of electricity and fertilizer through advanced methods of irrigation and the precise calculation of plants’ required nutrient elements can result in the improvement of the energy efficiency of the system. Reducing seed bed preparing operations (decrease diesel fuel consumption) may also increase the energy efficiency of the wheat production system