Energy evaluation of the process of production of cultivations of roots and tubers (Original)

Abstract

The conservation of the natural resource soil is of vital importance for the current and future generations. In the last years the power of the tractors and the quantity of energy that it is invested in the cultivations by concept of fertilizers, fuel and machinery has grown quickly; however the farm technologies have not evolved with same speed, with tendency to the application of the new agricultural technique with the traditional farm methods. The objective of the present work has been to evaluate its energy consumption through tubers and roots cultivations production (potato, sweet potato and cassava) across four tillage systems (conventional tillage, multiplough and disk harrow tillage, rotovator and subsoil tillage, disk harrow and subsoil tillage) in a Fluvisol with clay loam texture of the Cuban county of Granma. The minimum tillage technologies presented better behaviour, in the highest multiplough and disk harrow tillage T2, which improves the physique mechanics soil properties significantly and the conditions for the cultivations development, obtaining the biggest production (33; 13 y 13,9 t ha^-1); the smallest fuel consumption, bigger yield of the machinery groups and the best energy ratio (3,9; 4,9 y 12). The soil aggregate measurements after the tillage and the quality of the farm in general achieved by means of this technology, as well as the smallest energy consumption contributes to the soil conservation and the reduction of the energy costs.