ISHS Acta Horticulturae 525: International Conference on Integrated Fruit Production
ENERGY AND NUTRIENT INPUTS AND OUTPUTS OF A TYPICAL OLIVE ORCHARD IN NORTHERN GREECE |
| Authors: | M. Genitsariotis, G. Chlioumis, B. Tsarouhas, K. Tsatsarelis, E. Sfakiotakis |
| Abstract:
An irrigated commercial olive orchard located in Northern Greece (Central Macedonia), producing mainly table olives for processing, was used for a calculation of the energy balance and an estimation of the inputs and outputs of nutrients. A total sequestered energy of 118125 MJ/ha for one cultivation period was calculated. The most energy demanding field operation was irrigation (58% of the total energy inputs), followed by fertilization (30%) and plant protection (6.6%). The major energy input was fuel and electrical energy for the pumping system, which together amounted to 52% of the total. Energy productivity and intensity are also discussed. Based on the routine fertilization and leaf, stem and fruit analyses, nutrient inputs and outputs were estimated as follows: Inputs were found to be 424.3 kg/ha for nitrogen (N), 56.4 kg/ha for phosphorous (P) and 200.2 kg/ha for potassium (K). Outputs were found to be N-92.6 kg/ha, P-6.1 kg/ha and K-63.4 kg/ha, corresponding to 22% (N), 11% (P) and 31.5% (K) of the inputs. By recycling the pruning wood the corresponding outputs were N-14.4 kg/ha, P-0.7 kg/ha and K-13.8 kg/ha. The benefits of switching from the conventional cultivation system to an integrated production system in terms of energy and nutrients balance are discussed. | |
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