Energy savings in soft wheat (Triticum aestivum) production in dry land system
The objectives of this study were to determine the energy consumption in soft wheat production, and evaluate the possibility of energy savings. For this purpose, data were collected from 81 farms applying questionnaires via face-to-face interviews. Energy expenditures per hectare (MJ/ha) and specifi...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II
2016-07-01
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| Series: | Revue Marocaine des Sciences Agronomiques et Vétérinaires |
| Online Access: | http://agrimaroc.org/index.php/Actes_IAVH2/article/view/433/385 |
| Summary: | The objectives of this study were to determine the energy consumption in soft wheat production, and evaluate the possibility of energy savings. For this purpose, data were collected from 81 farms applying questionnaires via face-to-face interviews. Energy expenditures per hectare (MJ/ha) and specific energy consumption (MJ/kg grain produced) for four types of farms were studied. Results indicate that the total energy consumption varies from 9.7 to 11.1 GJ/ha. The share of fertilizers, seeds and diesel represents respectively 43.8%, 27.7% and 18.6%. Specific energy consumption is found to be 3.05 MJ/kg for small scale farms and 3.37 MJ/kg for large scale farms. According to these results and to farmer’s attitudes, a prediction equation for each type of farm was established to analyze the possibility of energy saving. 8.6% for small scale farms, 20.6 % for large scale farm of total energy consumption could be saved by reducing the seed rate and fuel consumption. The potential energy that can be saved represents 29.6% of the total fuel consumed in soft wheat production. Specific energy consumption could also be reduced by 19.6 to 22.9%. Adoption of the options outlined above would reduce GHG emissions from Morocco’s soft wheat farming by an estimated 119.1 kte CO2 a year. |
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| ISSN: | 2028-991X 2028-991X |