ISHS Acta Horticulturae 531: II ISHS Conference on Fruit Production in the Tropics and Subtropics
ENERGY BALANCES IN THE TROPICAL FRUIT PRODUCTION OF THE SOCONUSCO REGION, CHIAPAS, MEXICO |
| Authors: | J. Borgman, M.R. Gehrke Velez, J. Pohlan |
| Keywords: | banana, mango, cocoa, papaya, economy, ecology, management, agroecosystems |
| Abstract:
Since in annual crops the production and maintenance costs have become very high, fruit crops come into consideration as a viable alternative for many growers to reduce the economic impact on their properties in the Soconusco Region. Furthermore, the shift to permanent crops has supported the reduction of the environmental impact of many cultivation practices applied to annual crops. The increasing demand for fresh fruits in the markets, resulting from their highly recommended nutritional value, led to an intensification of fruit production in the early nineties, causing a new increase in the application of agrochemicals in order to reduce labour hours per unit of product with a consequent reduction of production costs. The energy balances obtained in different crops show that environmental hazards are possible in the intensified production systems as is the case of Papaya production in the Soconusco Region. Extensive systems like Cocoa cultivation with highly diversified fruit crops as shade trees obtain a high input — output ratio, but are low in the total amount of energy produced. Although Mango is considered as a low energy-containing species, it could obtain a high output of energy, minerals and vitamins. Banana production also contributes to a positive energy output, but in this case this is due to the high energy content of the fruit. | |
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