Estimating the energy gap in greenhouse cucumber production

Subject Areas : Agriculture Marketing and Commercialization

Bardia Bayat ¹ ( Department of Agronomy and Horticultural Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran )
Mohammad Hossein Ansari ² ( Department of Agronomy, Islamic Azad University, Rasht, Iran )
Marjan Diyanat ³ ( Department of Agronomy and Horticultural Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran )
Ali Mohammadi ‎ Torkashvand ⁴ ( Department of Agronomy and Horticultural Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran )

Received: 2023-05-27 Accepted : 2023-08-17 Published : 2023-12-01

Keywords: Yield gap, Keywords: Energy gap, yield gap by management, yield gap by arrangement, different varieties of greenhouse cucumber,

Abstract :

The energy gap of greenhouse cucumbers in this research was investigated due to Iran's large greenhouse cultivation area and the high input energy entrance into these agroecosystems. Accordingly, single-flower, double-flower, middle-flower, and multi-flower cucumber varieties were cultivated at distances of 37, 42, and 47 cm. The important achievement of this research is making it possible to calculate the energy gap by the yield gap calculations. The turning point is breaking the yield gap into its constituent units, which are caused by management and arrangement, and determining the role of each one in their share of the yield gap. The results showed that up to 104 tons/ha of yield gap was created in the worst case by choosing the wrong variety and inappropriate planting distance, which is equivalent to 83,000 MJ/ha (104 tons/ha) of lost energy in multi-flower varieties. This amount reduced up to 62 tons/ha in middle flower varieties, which is equivalent to 49,000 MJ/ha of lost energy. Indeed, agroecosystems achieved higher output energy by spending specific input energy, which is the basis for sustainable agriculture and reducing the resources lost on a large scale. Accordingly, in this research, it was found that by reducing the loss of yield due to the incorrect choice of planting distance and cucumber variety, we will achieve higher output energy by consuming the same amount of input energy.

References:

• Affholder, F., Poeydebat, C., Corbeels, M., Scopel, E., Tittonell, P. (2013): The yield gap of major food crops in family agriculture in the tropics: Assessment and analysis through field surveys and modelling. Field crops research. 143: 106-118. (Accepted October 22, 2012)


• Ahmadbeyki, A., Ghahderijani, M., Borghaee, A., Bakhoda, H. (2023): Energy use and environmental impacts analysis of greenhouse crops production using life cycle assessment approach: A case study of cucumber and tomato from Tehran province, Iran. Energy reports. 9: 988-999. (Accepted November 30, 2022)


• Alluvione, F., Moretti, B., Sacco, D., Grignani, C. (2011): EUE (energy use efficiency) of cropping systems for a sustainable agriculture. Energy. 36: 4468-4481. (Accepted March 31, 2011)


• Agricultural Statistics, Vol. 1. 2012-2013 Cropping Seasons. Ministry of Jihad-e-Agriculture, Tehran, Iran (in Persian), 2018; 156p.


• Asten, P.J.A., Wopereis, M.C.S., Haefele, S., Ould Isselmou, M., Kropff, M.J. (2003): Explaining yield gaps on farmer-identified degraded and non-degraded soils in a Sahelian irrigated rice scheme. NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences. 50 (3-4): 277-296. (Accepted April 25, 2003)


• Bartlett, J.E., Kotrilk, J.W., Higgins, Ch.C. (2001): Organizational research: Determining appropriate sample size in survey research. Information technology, learning, and performance journal. 19(1): 43-50.


• Beza, E., Silva, J.V., Kooistra, L., Reidsma, P. (2017): Review of yield gap explaining factors and opportunities for alternative data collection approaches. European journal of agronomy. 82 (B): 206-222. (Accepted June 30, 2016)


• Çakir, R., Kanburoglu-Çebi, U., Altintas, S., Ozdemir, A. (2017): Irrigation scheduling and water use efficiency of cucumber grown as a spring-summer cycle crop in solar greenhouse. Agricultural water management.180 (A): 78-87. (Accepted October 30, 2016)


• Davis, K.F., Rulli, M.C., Garrassino, F., Chiarelli, D., Seveso, A., D’Odorico, P. (2017): Water limits to closing yield gaps. Advances in Water Resources. 99: 67-75. (Accepted November 27, 2016)


• Deihimfard, R., Mahallati, M.N., Koocheki, A. (2015): Yield gap analysis in major wheat growing areas of Khorasan province, Iran, through crop modelling. Field crops research. 184: 28-38. (Accepted September 4, 2015)


• Dias, H.B and Sentelhas, P.C. (2018): Sugarcane yield gap analysis in Brazil – A multi-model approach for determining magnitudes and causes. Science of the total environment. 637–638: 1127-1136. (Accepted May 2, 2018)


• Dijk, M.V., Morley, T., Jongeneel, R., Ittersum, M.V., Reidsma, P., Ruben, R. (2017): Disentangling agronomic and economic yield gaps: An integrated framework and application. Agricultural Systems. 154: 90-99. (Accepted March 7, 2017)


• Espe, M.B., Cassman, K.G., Yang, H., Guilpart, N., Grassini, P., Wart, J.V., Anders, M., Beighley, D., Harrell, D., Linscombe, S., McKenzie, K., Mutters, R., Wilson, L.T., Linquist, B.A. (2016): Yield gap analysis of US rice production systems shows opportunities for improvement. Field crops research. 196: 276-283. (Accepted July 18, 2016)


• Ferdous, Z., Zulfiqar, F., Ullah, H., Anwar, M., Rahman Khan, A.S.M., Datta, A. (2020): Improved management practices vis-à-vis farmers’ practices for rice-based cropping systems in Bangladesh: yield gaps and gross margins. Journal of Crop Improvement. 35 (4): 547-567. (Accepted Nov 9, 2020)


• Guilpart, N., Grassini, P., Sadras, V.O., Timsina, J., Cassman, K.G. (2017): Estimating yield gaps at the cropping system level. Field crops research. 206: 21–32. (Accepted February 11, 2017)


• Hedau, N.K., Tuti, M.D., Stanley, J., Mina, B.L., Agrawal, P.K., Bisht, J.K., Bhatt, J.C. (2013): Energy-use efficiency and economic analysis of vegetable cropping sequences under greenhouse condition. Energy efficiency. 7: 507-515. (Accepted November 7, 2013)


• Hochman, Z., Gobbett, D., Horan, H., Garcia, N.J. (2016): Data rich yield gap analysis of wheat in Australia. Field crops research. 197: 97-106. (Accepted August 11, 2016)


• Ittersum, M. K., Cassman, K.G., Grassini, P., Wolf, J., Tittonell, P., and Hochman, Z. (2013): Yield gap analysis with local to global relevance-A review. Field crops research. 143: 4-17. (Accepted September 16, 2012)


• Lu, C., and Fan, L. (2013): Winter wheat yield potentials and yield gaps in the North China Plain. Field Crops Research. 143: 98-105. (Accepted September 19, 2012)


• Mohammadi, A., and Omid, M. (2010): Economical analysis and relation between energy inputs and yield of greenhouse cucumber production in Iran. Applied Energy. 87: 191-196. (August 22, 2009)


• Pahlavan, R., Omid, M., Akram, A. (2012): Application of Data Envelopment Analysis for Performance Assessment and Energy Efficiency Improvement Opportunities in Greenhouses Cucumber Production. J. Agr. Sci. 14: 1465-1475. (Accepted December 24, 2011)


• Rees, H.V., McClelland, T., Hochman, Z., Carberry, P., Hunt, J., Huth, N., Holzworth, D. (2014): Leading farmers in South East Australia have closed the exploitable wheat yield gap: Prospects for further improvement. Field Crops Research. 164: 1-11. (Accepted April 30, 2014)


• Sadras, V.O., Cassman, K.G., Grassini, P., Hall, A., Bastiaanssen, W.G.M., Laborte, A.G., Milne, A.E., Sileshi, G., Steduto, P. (2015): Yield gap analysis of field crops: methods and case studies. Food and agriculture organization of the United Nations Rome. FAO water reports 41.


• Wang, X.J., Kang, M.Z., Fan, X.R., Yang, L.L., Zhang, B.G., Huang, S.W., De Reffye, P., Wang, F.Y. (2020): What are the differences in yield formation among two cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cultivars and their F1 hybrid. Journal of integrative agriculture. 19(7): 1789-1801. (Accepted March 8, 2020)


• Wang, Z., Liu, Z., Zhang, Z., Liu, X. (2009): Subsurface drip irrigation scheduling for cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) grown in solar greenhouse based on 20 cm standard pan evaporation in Northeast China. Scientia Horticulturae. 123: 51–57. (Accepted July 27, 2009)


• Yaghi, T., Arslan, A., Naoum, F. (2013): Cucumber (Cucumis sativus, L.) water use efficiency (WUE) under plastic mulch and drip irrigation. Agricultural Water Management. 128: 149-157. (Accepted June 1, 2013)