Crop production, energy

Haggerty, Alfred P, Ed., Biomass Crops Production, Energy, and the Environment, Nova Science Publisher s, Hauppage, NY, 2011. 

Plant survival and crop productivity are strictly dependent on the capability of plants to adapt to different environments. This adaptation is the result of the interaction among roots and biotic and abiotic components of soil. Processes at the basis of the root-soil interaction concern a very limited area surrounding the root tissue. In this particular environment, exchanges of energy, nutrients, and molecular signals take place, rendering the chemistry, biochemistry, and biology of this environment different from the bulk soil. 

Kus, J. Stalenga, J. (2000) Comparison of economic and energy efficiency in ecological and conventional crop production systems. Proceedings of the 13th International IFOAM Scientific Conference, Basel, Switzerland, pp 395. 

Hiilsbergen K-J, Feil B, BiermannS, Rathke G-W, Kalk W-D, Diepenbrock W (2001) A method of energy balancing in crop production in a long-term fertilizer trial. Agric Ecosys Environ 86 303-321... 

Biomass potentials are mainly determined by agricultural productivity and the amount of land accessible for energy crop production. The total area under energy crops in the EU was around 1.6 million hectares in 2004 (estimate for 2005 2.5 million hectares), which represents nearly 3% of the total arable land. AEBIOM (2007) estimated a total biomass supply of 220 MtOE for the year 2020, while 23 MtOE are covered by wood-based bioenergy (direct from forests) and 88 MtOE by agriculture-based energy crops (by-products not considered). The Commission has estimated that about 15% of the EU s arable land (17.5 million hectares) would be used to reach the targets for 2020. 

Summarising the literature data it can be stated that most energy consumption in crop production is used on the field in the form of fertiliser and diesel. Only those energy-intensive processes such as drying or pelletising of haulm-type... 

Halberg, N., Kristensen, E. S. and K. Refsgaard (1994). Energy Use in Crop Production on Danish Mixed Farms Systems Moddeling of Data from Farm Studies. International Symposium Systems- Oriented Research in Agriculture and Rural Development Montpellier, 360-365. 

Conservation agroecosystems developed in the Great Plains of the U.S. to control soil erosion are characterized by the presence of varying quantities of plant residues on the soil surface. This residue mulch protects the soil from the erosive forces of wind and water, resulting in improved stream water quality and soil conservation. Conservation tillage systems also help maintain soil productivity and reduce energy requirements of crop production (15). However, crop yield reduction has been observed with conservation wheat production in some areas of the U.S. (16-18) and with rice culture in the Far East (, 20). 

Crops Fraction of Occupied Land Energy (alcohol) Agricultural Production Energy Net Liquid Energy... 

Steever, E.Z., Warren, R.S., and Niering, W.A. (1976) Tidal energy subsidy and standing crop production of Spartina altemiflora. Estuar. Coastal Shelf Sci. 4, 473-490. 

Walsh, M.E., D.G. de la Torre Ugarte, H. Shapouri, and S.P. Slinsky. 2000. The Economic Impact of Bioenergy Crop Production on U.S. Agriculture. Paper presented at Conference on Sustainable Energy New Challenges for Agriculture and Implications for Land Use, Wageningen, The... 

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