A Comparative Study on Water and Energy Indicators for Irrigated and Rain-Fed Canola Production Systems in Iran

Abstract

In this study energy consumption for canola production under irrigated and rain-fed conditions was investigated. Also energy and water indicators were analyzed to better understand the main effects of energy use in different production systems. For this purpose data were collected from 130 canola farms from Golestan province, the main center of oilseed production in Iran. The results revealed that, total energy input under irrigated and rain-fed conditions was 31809.9 and 15078.5 MJ ha^-1, respectively. The main energy consumer inputs in irrigated conditions were electricity (45.3%), chemical fertilizers (28.3%) and diesel fuel (15.2%); also, about 85% of total energy input in rain-fed conditions was consumed by chemical fertilizers and diesel fuel inputs. Under irrigated and rain-fed conditions, the energy use efficiency was calculated as 1.85 and 3.5 and the energy intensity was found to be 13.54 and 7.13 MJ kg^-1, respectively. Moreover, for irrigated conditions the water energy use efficiency and water productivity were calculated as 3.67 and 1.55 kg m^-3, respectively. In order to reduce energy consumption and improve energy use efficiency and water productivity, it is suggested that canola production in the region shift to rain-fed conditions. Also, suitable design schemes for high irrigation efficiency and improving energy efficiency of water pumping systems are proposed to make the canola production more sustainable and to reduce its environmental impacts.