ESTIMATIVA DA EMISSÃO DE CO2 EQUIVALENTE EM OPERAÇÕES MECANIZADAS NA CULTURA DO CAFEEIRO.

Mechanization in coffee culture in Brazil is crucial for the optimization of production. However, growing demands of international markets for a low carbon productive chain trigger debates on producers with regard to hothouse gas emissions (GEE) due to their activities. Current study estimates the emission of CO2 equivalent (CO2 eq) per hectare in the main mechanized operations of coffee culture in the south of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. CO2 equivalent was estimated by a case study and employed parameters of GEE emission by methodology of GHG Protocol Agriculture. Results show that in coffee planting within convention modes, activities such as plowing, application of organic matter and burrowing contribute towards 73.92% of estimated emission of CO2 equivalent ha-1 during this stage, totaling 178.61 kg CO2 eq ha-1. In cultural treatments, operations in mechanized harvesting proved to be the greatest GEE emission sources, estimated at 123.81 kg CO2 eq ha-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]