BETTER MANAGEMENT CAN IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY OF INDIRECT ENERGY - Economics of Sustainable Energy in Agriculture - page 20

sugar beet negative correlations were found with the elements of the
strategic management concept except for the correlation between the
external analysis and the TE of sugar beet, and the economic mission and
the TE of ware potato. The correlations between TE of winter wheat on the
one hand and the scores for the economic mission, the external analysis
and the synthesis respectively on the other were positive, as were the
correlations between TE at farm level and the economic mission, the
internal analysis and synthesis respectively. A negative rank correlation
was found for TE at farm level and the external analysis.
5. DISCUSSION
The calculated TE scores for the individual crops are significantly different
(Table 2.2). The calculated TE for sugar beet is particularly low compared
with the TE for potato and wheat. A possible reason is the negative effect
of high nitrogen doses on sugar yield, which does not apply to potato and
winter wheat. The relatively low TE value for ware potato might be due to
the differences in varieties planted. The most common varieties are Agria
and Bintje. Agria needs less nitrogen and gives higher yields. Not all
farmers can grow this variety, however, as the seed potatoes of Agria are
much more expensive and supply is limited.
A negative rank correlation was found between TE of sugar beet
and TE at farm level (Table 2.3). This suggests that when farmers apply
relatively low nitrogen doses in sugar beet, they give relatively higher
doses in other crops. Application of relative low nitrogen doses in sugar
beet suggests good cropping practice, as the yield level of sugar is
negatively correlated with high doses of nitrogen. This reasoning implies
that an analysis of energy efficiency should not be carried out solely per
individual crop but in association with the results at farm level and/or for
the other crops. Due to differences in the cropping plans of the individual
farms, however, this would complicate the analysis.
The economic character of the mission was correlated positively
with the TE of winter wheat and TE at farm level, and had a relatively