Energy and water use for drip‐irrigated potato in the Middle Anatolian region of Turkey

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the energy consumption and the relationship between energy input and yield for drip‐irrigated potato under Middle Anatolian climatic conditions in Konya, Turkey. Also, the specific amount of energy consumed in irrigation was determined for both surface water and ground water sources. The experiment was carried out during the growing periods of 2008 and 2009. The results showed that total energy inputs were 63,222 MJ ha−1. About 62% of the total energy inputs in potato production were found to be indirect energy (seeds, fertilizers, chemicals, machinery, and polyethylene pipe) and 38% was direct energy (human labor, electricity, and diesel). Irrigation consumed the most energy, accounting for 43.8% of total energy inputs. Amongst the direct energy inputs, irrigation had the maximum share of direct energy viz. 15,473 MJ ha−1, which was almost 65% of direct energy input. Specific energy consumption of a drip irrigation system that takes water from surface and ground water sources was found to be 1.85 and 2.53 MJ m−3 respectively. When the per unit volume of irrigation water was applied to the field, the specific energy consumption of drip systems was higher for ground water than surface water sources, and the difference between those systems was about 37%. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 35: 212–220, 2016