Energy use efficiency in soybean crops in different regions of Brazil

Abstract

The soybean crop in Brazil has been growing in area and productivity in recent years and the analysis of its energy efficiency is very important to guarantee the sustainability of the production system. Assessment of energy efficiency (EE) enables the evaluation of the sustainability of agrosystems, as well as decision-making regarding the reduction in production costs and negative environmental impacts. In this context, the objective of this study was to assess energy efficiency of soybean in different regions of Brazil. For this purpose, 29 areas of soybean across the major producing states were assessed. Energy inputs and outputs of agricultural operations and/or agricultural inputs were calculated by multiplying the amount used by their calorific value or energy coefficient at each stage of production. Energy efficiency was calculated as the ratio between the total output energy and the total input energy during the production process. For every MJ of energy consumed in the production of soybean crop, 6.1; 6.7; 7.1 and 7.2 MJ of energy were produced in the form of grain, respectively in the areas assessed in the Midwest, northeast, southeast and south regions of Brazil. Generally, the main energy expenditure on soybean cultivation in different regions of Brazil was with fertilizers, seeds and herbicides. The adverse weather conditions of the year / harvest evaluated in the south-central region of Brazil resulted in low soybean yields and consequently resulted in lower energy efficiency in these regions. The evaluation of energy efficiency in soybean crops to be representative must be carried out in different regions and edaphoclimatic conditions.

Viabilidade Energética Da Produção Do Tifton 85 Na Região Da Baixada Fluminense

“…Convencionalmente, a eficiência dos sistemas de produção agrícola é analisada por duas abordagens distintas, a produtiva que se refere à análise da produção física obtida e a econômica que se relaciona aos custos de produção e lucratividade do sistema (FRIGO et al, 2011). Em contrapartida, atualmente a agricultura busca cada vez mais o uso racional dos recursos empregados, e a determinação da eficiência energética desses processos é um parâmetro importante a ser considerado nos sistemas de produção de culturas em geral, visto que está ligado ao uso e consequente disponibilização de energia e sua viabilidade (ANDREA et al, 2014;GUARESCHI et al, 2020).…”