Energy efficiency of a link of various crop rotations

Abstract

Purpose. To substantiate the energy efficiency of various crop rotations as affected by a system of fertilization, energy removal with harvest and energy costs.Methods. The measure of energy efficiency of crop cultivation technology is the energy efficiency ratio, which expresses the ratio of the total energy content of the cultivated crop to the amount of non-renewable energy spent on its cultivation.Results. The research was carried out in the stationary experiment on typical leached chernozem in the zone of unstable wetting in six-course multivariate crop rotation: crop rotation (33% fodder crops, 17% row crops, 50% grain crops), row crop rotation (17% fodder crops, 50% row crops, 33% grain crops) and grain-row crop rotation (17% fodder crops, 33% row crops, 50% grain crops). The experiment has shown that against the background of 16.6 t/ha of manure + N53.3P53.3K53.3, the energy removal with the harvest in the link of crop rotation amounted to 319169 MJ, in the link of row crop rotation 292569, and in the link of grain-row crop rotation 301963 MJ, which was by 48, 44 and 48%, respectively, higher than the energy removal against the background without fertilization. The energy efficiency ratio (kee) had the highest value in grain-row crop rotation (4.39), while in the crop rotation and grain-row crop rotation 4.03 and 3.97, respectively. In fertilized crop rotation, the yield of energy from the crop was at the level of the organic-mineral fertilizer system in treatments of ploughing-in crop residues against the background of mineral fertilization. High fertilizer rates applied in grain-crop rotation increase the yield of energy removal with the crop. The reduction of fertilizer rates significantly reduces both the energy removal and the efficiency of energy.Conclusions. The highest yield of energy with the crop (319169 MJ) was recorded in crop rotation in the link of oat – winter wheat – sugar beet at the background of application of 16.6 t/ha of manure + N53.3P53.3K53.3. Ploughing- in crops residues against the background of the mineral system provides a yield of energy with a yield of 303534 MJ at kee 4.06, which is at the level organic-mineral fertilizer system. High fertilizer rates applied in grain-seed crop rotation increase the yield of energy with the yield, but kee does not exceed 4.31–4.33. The reduction of fertilizer rates significantly reduces both the energy removal by crop and the energy efficiency ratio.