Abstract
Energy efficiency (EE) and energy performance (EP) are the main indicators of sustainability for a crop-energy supply chain. This study aims at assessing the sugar beet suitability as energy crop. Sugar beet was cropped under six agronomic treatments, varying in nitrogen supply and in soil tillage. The energy patterns were verified through four indicators. The treatment with the highest agronomic input provided an enhanced energy yield, on the contrary the mid-energy input scheme maximized net energy gain. “No nitrogen”, coupled with “No-tillage” treatment, achieved the best EE performance. Therefore, the most suitable agro-energy scheme does result tricky to recognize since contrasting information provided by the single energy indicators could exacerbate EP and penalizing EE, or vice versa. The synthesis of different information in a single (multi-metric) indicator was the main objective of this study. The multi-metric indicator from the fuzzy-based expert system, highlighted that “No-tillage” combined with “No nitrogen” was the cropping system which optimizes energy output and input. As for the highest nitrogen treatment, coupled with conventional or no tillage, the multi-metric index indicated these management unsuitable for the sugar-beet supply chain. A multi-composite metric, built on ad hoc modules, was fully described in this paper.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
