Abstract—The present work aims to contribute with
sustained economic expansion by studying strategies for
expanding the energy supply in agribusiness. The
characterization of specific energy consumption and energy
indicators were performed considering a process of natural
evolution, using logistic curves that describe the growth or
evolution process. The specific energy consumption in
agricultural activities was determined from data on the
consumption of energy by machinery and equipments used in
agricultural activities, as well as by establishing specific
consumption indicators (ratio of energy consumed per unit
produced) for each stage of production and by end-use. Two
crops (corn and sugarcane) were evaluated. The technology
levels reached by the Brazilian agricultural sector reflected on
an increased productivity and competitiveness in the
international market with improvement of machines and
equipments efficiency and operational capacity. In sugarcane
culture, for example, the productivity increased up to 50 % from
2000 to 2014. It was also noticed a trend to reduce the use of
low-power tractors and to increase the use of medium to
high-power tractors, which has also favored the productivity
increase. The incorporation of new technologies tends to be
more intense in the crops that have an already established
market. In Brazil, agricultural productivity in 2014 averaged 73
tonnes of sugarcane per hectare, according to figures from
Brazil’s Center for Sugarcane Technology (CTC). The
percentage increase practically the same for the state of São
Paulo, where productivity averaged 83.40 tonnes per hectare. In
1975, the average agricultural productivity was around 45 tons
of sugarcane per hectare. In corn culture, according survey
released by the National Food Supply Agency (CONAB), the
national corn crop, produced in the 2014/15 summer growing
season is estimated at 30.64 million tons. It represents a slight
decline of 2.6% from the previous period, when the total volume
30.83 million tonnes. Productivity was up 4.7%, soaring from
4,783 kilograms per hectare to 5,009 kilograms per hectare.
Index Terms—Corn, Sugarcane, energy indicators, specific
energy consumption, energy indicators.
M. D. Berni and P. C. Manduca are with Interdisciplinary Center of
Energy Planning, State University of Campinas, Brazil (e-mail:
mberni@unicamp.br, mberni@unicamp.br).
I. L. Dorileo is with NIEPE, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Brazil
(e-mail: ivo.leandrod@gmail.com).
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Cite:Mauro D. Berni, Ivo L. Dorileo, and Paulo C. Manduca, "Energy Consumption of Sugarcane and Corn Culture," Journal of Clean Energy Technologies vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 400-404, 2017.
