Evaluation of energy use efficiency for greenhouse cucumber production in Barka, Oman

Abstract EN

Sustainable agricultural production could be assessed through energy-use efficiency (EUE).

Thus, this paper aims to evaluate the EUE for cucumber greenhouse production in Oman.

Data were obtained by interviewing farmers (face-to-face).

Result indicated that total energy inputs (e.g.

electricity, water, fertilizers and agrochemicals) and total energy output (cucumber yield) were 1159726.0 MJ ha-1 and 89942.9 MJ ha-1, respectively.

The highest energy consuming input in the greenhouse production was electricity, consuming 88% of total energy input.

This indicates that electricity had again the highest impact in cucumber greenhouse production and 99% of electricity goes for cooling the greenhouse.

When all energy inputs were classified into its forms; direct (D) and indirect (ID), and renewable (R) and non-renewable (NR), the highest portion of total energy forms in greenhouse cucumber production was for D and NR energy.

The EUE and energy productivity (EP) were found to be 0.07 and 0.10 kg MJ-1, respectively.

Energy use in greenhouse cucumber production was inefficient and solar energy need to be implemented to improve cucumber greenhouse sustainability production in Oman.