Energetic balance in organic farming of vegetables / Balanço energético em cultivos orgânicos de hortaliças

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2006

RESUMO

The concerning with preservation of the natural sources and to the human health have been outstanding in the last decades. Therefore the organic agriculture has been developed in several countries, including Brazil, searching to attend these longings of the society. This mission can be reached with efficiently only if this agriculture is implemented in agricultural ecology bases and with justified energetic support. So, the aim of this work was to evaluate the energetic performance of organic farming of vegetables in the period of 10 years, searching to attest the energetic efficiencies of the cultures and to compare them to those of conventional crops from the region. Monitoring the fields of 10 year production was the methodology used in the period from 1991 to 2000, in the experimental field of organic agriculture of INCAPER, in Domingos Martins, mountain region of Espírito Santo. The quantification of the technical coefficients of the organic system was proceeded, converting their physical greatnesses to energetic equivalents, expressed in kcal. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and the comparisons among the organic system means to those of the conventional crop from the region, set as population references were done using the t Test. The organic system consumed averagely, 4.571.159 kcal ha-1 and showed 12.696.712 kcal ha-1 of energy inserted in the harvest, showing itself as efficient in the conversion of energy, with an energetic balance of 2.78. The tomato showed the least balance (0.97) and the sweet potato the greatest balance (6.58). The cabbage stood out with the highest production of proteins (77.45 kg ha-1) and the least proteic cost (45.733 kcal kg-1). The components with the greatest participation in the caloric costs were: packaging (35.9%), followed by organic composite (17.2%), irrigation (12.6%), seeds/seedlings (12.4%) and labor (11.0%). Regarding to the comparison among the systems, statistical differences were recorded to some variables, depending on the analyzed culture. When medias from the organic and conventional systems were compared, statistics differences to the analyzed variables werent noted even when there was numerical differences outstanding among some of them, as in the incoming of energy (4.571.159 and 6.766.464 kcal ha-1, respectively) and in the energetic balance (2,78 e 1,93, respectively).

ASSUNTO(S)

agricultura orgânica sustainability organic agriculture sustentabilidade energy fitotecnia energia

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