A comparative study on energy use efficiency of the major oilseed crop productions in Iran

The main objective of this study is to compare the energy use efficiencies of soybean,canola and sunflower productions in Golestan province, the main center of oilseed production in Iran. Data used in this study were obtained from a survey approach in the farms. The results revealed that the total energy input and output energy were higher in soybean production, followed by canola and sunflower productions, respectively; while, energy use efficiency and energy productivity were higher for sunflower, followed by canola and soybean crops, respectively. From this study, development of renewable energy usage technologies such as farm machinery or water pumping systems using bio-diesel or solar power and utilization of alternative sources of energy such as organic fertilizers is suggested to improve the energy use efficiency.

Keywords:

Energy use efficiency , Energy input , Oilseeds , Golestan