Energy Efficiency of Industrial Tomato Production in the Southern Region of Goiás, Brazil
摘要
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most consumed vegetables worldwide and is cultivated in subtropical and tropical regions. Owing to the need for intensive cultural practices, tomato farming is difficult to manage in the field, leading to soil degradation and greenhouse gas emissions from intensive energy use. To reduce damage to the soil and consequently to the environment, migration to the Direct Transplanting System for Vegetables (STDH) has been increasingly intensified, especially in tomato crops for processing. Conducting an energy analysis of the production system through energy balance allows the identification of potential energy inputs and outputs in the production process, resulting in the final energy balance of the production process. Considering this, the present study aimed to determine the energy consumption and perform an energy balance in the production of industrial tomatoes for processing on a farm located in the Southern Region of Goiás, in the municipality of Morrinhos. The study assessed energy efficiency and energy balance by quantifying the energy coefficient of each component involved in the production process and subsequently determining the energy consumption matrices in terms of inputs, agrochemicals, labor, equipment, production, and crop residues. Based on these results, it is possible to affirm that direct energy inputs were predominant because of the significant participation of fuels, lubricants, fertilizers, and agrochemicals, representing 71.3% of all energy used in the system. Additionally, the results indicate that despite the large amount of energy employed, the system’s conversion capacity was adequate, with an energy efficiency (η) of 2.8 and an energy surplus of 100,816.4 MJ ha−1. Furthermore, the results highlight that the evaluated production system uses 16.7% of energy from renewable sources. The results obtained in this study indicate that energy analysis is an important tool for verifying the sustainability of agricultural production systems, demonstrating the potential of the Southern Goiás region for industrial tomato production.