Energy Requirements for Field Operations of Wheat Production in Saudi Arabia PDF

Keywords

farm machines, soil, wheat production

Abstract

In Saudi Arabia, the cultivated area was doubled four times in the last 12 years. That was mainly attributed by the introduction of farm machines on a large scale. As a result, the total amount of energy input to agriculture was increased. The objective of this study was to determine the amount of energy needed for each field operation of wheat production in the central region in the Kingdom. A survey of 49 wheat farms was made. The collected information were analyzed to determine the amount of energy needed for field operation, the total amount of energy per unit area, and the energy index (output energy from wheat to fuel energy). The results of this study showed that the amount of energy per unit weight of produced wheat was in the acceptable level, also the energy index was high. The amount of energy per unit area was higher than that of other studies by more than double. That was mainly due to over tilling the soil by the chisel and the moldboard plows at the same season, and also because of the mismatching and improper operation of farm machines and tractors. It is recommended that further study of tillage systems, proper selection of farm machines and tractors, and the suitable training of farm operators would be needed for the wheat production farms.