Changes in the Energy Efficiency of Regional Crop Production in Japan

The projected increase in the world’s population requires an increase in the production of edible energy that would meet the associated increased demand for food. However, food production is strongly dependent on the use of energy, mainly from fossil fuels, the extraction of which requires increasing input due to the depletion of the most easily accessible deposits. According to numerous estimations, the world’s energy production will be dependent on fossil fuels at least to 2050. Therefore, it is vital to increase the energy efficiency of production, including food production. One method to measure energy efficiency is the energy return on investment (EROI), which is the ratio of the amount of energy produced to the amount of energy consumed in the production process. The literature lacks comparable EROI calculations concerning global food production and the existing studies only include crop production. The aim of this study was to calculate the EROI of edible crop and animal production in the long term worldwide and to indicate the relationships resulting from its changes. The research takes into account edible crop and animal production in agriculture and the direct consumption of fossil fuels and electricity. The analysis showed that although the most underdeveloped regions have the highest EROI, the production of edible energy there is usually insufficient to meet the food needs of the population. On the other hand, the lowest EROI was observed in highly developed regions, where production ensures food self-sufficiency. However, the changes that have taken place in Europe since the 1990s indicate an opportunity to simultaneously reduce the direct use of energy in agriculture and increase the production of edible energy, thus improving the EROI.

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Comparison of energy inputs and energy efficiency for maize in a long-term tillage experiment under Pannonian climate conditions

Plant Soil and Environment ◽

10.17221/67/2021-pse ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 67 (No. 5) ◽

pp. 45-52

Author(s):

Gerhard Moitzi ◽

Reinhard W. Neugschwandtner ◽

Hans-Peter Kaul ◽

Helmut Wagentristl

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Total Energy ◽

Fuel Consumption ◽

Crop Production ◽

Energy Input ◽

Conservation Tillage ◽

Energy Output ◽

No Tillage ◽

Tillage Systems ◽

Total Energy Input

Sustainable crop production requires an efficient usage of fossil energy. This six-year study on a silt loam soil (chernozem) analysed the energy efficiency of four tillage systems (mouldboard plough 25–30 cm, deep conservation tillage 35 cm, shallow conservation tillage 8–10 cm, no-tillage). Fuel consumption, total energy input (made up of both direct and indirect input), grain of maize yield, energy output, net-energy output, energy intensity and energy use efficiency were considered. The input rates of fertiliser, herbicides and seeds were set constant; measured values of fuel consumption were used for all tillage operations. Total fuel consumption for maize (Zea mays L.) production was 81.6, 81.5, 69.5 and 53.2 L/ha for the four tillage systems. Between 60% and 64% of the total energy input (17.0–17.4 GJ/ha) was indirect energy (seeds, fertiliser, herbicides, machinery). The share of fertiliser energy of the total energy input was 36% on average across all tillage treatments. Grain drying was the second highest energy consumer with about 22%. Grain yield and energy output were mainly determined by the year. The tillage effect on yield and energy efficiency was smaller than the growing year effect. Over all six years, maize produced in the no-tillage system reached the highest energy efficiency.

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Energy efficiency of the mineral fertilizer application in crop production

Journal on Processing and Energy in Agriculture ◽

10.5937/jpea24-25576 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 26-30

Author(s):

Aleksandra Dimitrijević ◽

Marija Gavrilović ◽

Zoran Mileusnić ◽

Rajko Miodragović

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Crop Production ◽

Mineral Fertilizer ◽

Fertilizer Application

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Energy use and efficiency in two Canadian organic and conventional crop production systems

Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems ◽

10.1079/raf2005118 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 60-67 ◽

Cited By ~ 72

Author(s):

J.W. Hoeppner ◽

M.H. Entz ◽

B.G. McConkey ◽

R.P. Zentner ◽

C.N. Nagy

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Production System ◽

Crop Production ◽

Energy Use ◽

Production Systems ◽

Energy Output ◽

Organic Management ◽

Conventional Management ◽

Whole Plant ◽

Rotation Energy

AbstractA goal in sustainable agriculture is to use fossil fuel energy more efficiently in crop production. This 12-year study investigated effects of two crop rotations and two crop production systems (organic versus conventional management) on energy use, energy output and energy-use efficiency. The grain-based rotation included wheat (Triticum aestivumL.)–pea (Pisum sativumL.)–wheat–flax (Linum usitatissimumL.), while the integrated rotation included wheat–alfalfa (Medicago sativaL.)–alfalfa–flax. Energy use was 50% lower with organic than with conventional management, and approximately 40% lower with integrated than with the grain-based rotation. Energy use across all treatments averaged 3420 MJ ha−1yr−1. Energy output (grain and alfalfa herbage only) across treatments averaged 49,947 MJ ha−1yr−1and was affected independently by production system and crop rotation. Energy output in the integrated rotation was three times that of the grain-based rotation; however, this difference was largely due to differences in crop type (whole plant alfalfa compared with grain seed). Energy output was 30% lower with organic than with conventional management. Energy efficiency (output energy/input energy) averaged to 17.4 and was highest in the organic and integrated rotations. A significant rotation by production system interaction (P<0.05) indicated that energy efficiency increases due to crop input reduction (i.e., shift from conventional to organic management) were greater in the integrated than in the grain-based rotation. Greater energy efficiency in the integrated rotation under organic management was attributed to the fact that the forage component was less sensitive to chemical input removal than grain crops.

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ASSESSMENT OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF TECHNOLOGICAL PROCESSES AND TECHNICAL DEVICES IN CROP PRODUCTION

10.18411/0131-5226-2018-11987 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

N. I. Jabborov ◽

V. A. Eviev ◽

N. G. Ochirov

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Crop Production ◽

Technological Processes

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Energy Utilization Patterns for Sustainable Crop Production in the Semi-Arid Vertisols of India

Agropedology ◽

10.47114/j.agroped.2019.dec4 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Hrittick Biswas ◽

◽

Suresh Kumar ◽

M. Prabhavathi ◽

Amrut Morade ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Renewable Energy ◽

Crop Production ◽

Energy Utilization ◽

Economic Indicators ◽

Cost Ratio ◽

Energy Productivity ◽

Energy Inputs ◽

Normal Rainfall ◽

Semi Arid

In semi-arid regions, the amount of rainfall and its distribution governs not only output levels but also influences uses and pattern of energy-inputs. Current study analyzes the role of energy and economic indicators to identify a suitable crop under different rainfall situations in rainfed areas of southern India. For this study, ten years data on production of rainfed sorghum and chickpea were analyzed with help of an array of energy and economic indicators like net energy, energy efficiency, specific energy, energy productivity, energy intensity and human labor profitability. The results of the study show that the share of non-renewable energy (80% in normal rainfall years) was remarkably higher than renewable energy in production of both the crops. Deficient rainfall led to decline in the consumption of energy inputs by 19.6 and 5.7 %, and consequently resulted in a reduction of output energy by 48.6 and 63.4 % in comparison to normal rainfall in case of sorghum and chickpea cultivation, respectively. Further, energy efficiency scores were found to decline to an extent of 1.95 and 1.29 under deficient rainfall situations from the levels of 3.06 and 3.32 obtained under sorghum and chickpea production under normal rainfall conditions, respectively. The computed values of benefit: cost ratio and energy efficiency suggests that chickpea is the more suitable rainfed crop as compared to sorghum in the semi-arid Vertisols of Karnataka.

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GHG and NH3 Emissions vs. Energy Efficiency of Maize Production Technology: Evidence from Polish Farms; a Further Study

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14175574 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (17) ◽

pp. 5574

Author(s):

Anita Konieczna ◽

Kamil Roman ◽

Kinga Borek ◽

Emilia Grzegorzewska

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Crop Production ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Forage Yield ◽

Family Farms ◽

Maize Production ◽

Production Chain ◽

Increase Energy Efficiency ◽

Silage Maize ◽

Production Technologies

The paper determines the effect of selected cultivation technologies, including production chain energy inputs (growing, harvest, heap forming) on greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) to the atmosphere. The data for the study was collected from 13 actually operating family farms ranging in size from 2 to 13 ha, located in the Podlaskie voivodship (Poland). GHG and ammonia (NH3) emissions from natural and mineral fertilisation as well as GHGs from energy carriers in a form of fuels (ON) were estimated. The average GHG emissions from the sources analysed were 1848.030 kg·CO2eq·ha−1 and 29.492 kg·CO2eq·t−1 of the green forage yield. The average NH3 emissions per hectare were 15,261.808 kg NH3 and 248.871 kg NH3·t−1 of yield. The strongest impact on the environment, due to the GHG emissions to the atmosphere, thus contributing to the greenhouse effect, is due nitrogen fertilisation, both mineral and natural. On average, in the technologies under study, 61% of the total GHG emissions came from fertilisation. The GHG emissions were correlated with the energy efficiency, calculated at the previous research stage, of the production technologies applied. There is a negative correlation (r = −0.80) between the features studied, which means that the higher the energy efficiency of the silage maize plantations, the lower the air pollution emissions in a form of the GHGs from the sources under study. It is so important to prevent environmental degradation to continue, conduct in-depth, interdisciplinary research on reducing the energy consumption of crop production technologies and striving to increase energy efficiency.

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