1. Applying DEA optimization approach for energy auditing in wheat cultivation under rice-wheat and cotton-wheat cropping systems in north-western India.
- Author
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Singh, Pritpal, Singh, Gurdeep, and Sodhi, G.P.S.
- Subjects
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ENERGY auditing , *COTTON quality , *CROPPING systems , *GROUP decision making , *WHEAT , *DATA envelopment analysis - Abstract
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is highly energy intensive winter crop grown in rice-wheat and cotton-wheat cropping systems in north-western India. In this study, energy input-output relationships for wheat cultivation were estimated from data collected from 80 wheat producers (40 each in rice-wheat and cotton-wheat cropping system) by face-to-face survey. Energy input through irrigation water was significantly (p < 0.05) higher by 517 MJ ha-1 (14.5%) in wheat under cotton-wheat (4093 ± 133 MJ ha-1), compared with rice-wheat (3576 ± 124 MJ ha-1); while energy input difference from other sources was non-significant among cropping systems. Data pooled for cropping systems revealed that chemical fertilizers comprised ∼45%, while irrigation, electricity and diesel fuel consumption each shared ∼15% towards total input energy (E I). Wheat cultivation was energy efficient with E I of 25.6 ± 0.5 GJ ha-1 and total output energy (E O) of 191.7 ± 3.6 GJ ha-1 produced net energy gain (NEG) of 166.1 ± 3.5 GJ ha-1. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) elucidated 28 decision making units (DMUs) as energy efficient with technical score (TE) of 1.00, while 52 DMUs (∼65% of total DMUs) with TE < 1.00 were inefficient. Therefore, by the adoption of recommendations of the study, 3819 ± 641 MJ ha-1 (∼12% of E I) energy saving is possible from different inputs in wheat cultivation. • Energy input was 26 GJ ha-1 and energy output was 192 GJ ha-1 in wheat cultivation. • Net energy gain of 166 GJ ha-1 shows that wheat cultivation is energy efficient. • Data envelopment analysis was used to optimize input energy in wheat cultivation. • Technical efficiency of 52 wheat farms (65% of total) was <1.00 • 12% (3819 MJ ha-1) of total input energy could be saved under optimized conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
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