On the study of energy use and GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions in greenhouse cucumber production in Yazd province

In recent years, besides the energy issues, the GHG (greenhouse gas) emission, which is the most important cause of global warming, has received high attention. In order to have sustainable development, it is necessary to manage energy usage and GHG emissions in all production processes. This study aimed to evaluate the energy consumption and GHG emissions of cucumber production in selected greenhouses in Yazd province of Iran. The total energy input was found to be 1284 GJ ha−1 where the output energy was 125 GJ ha−1. Energy use efficiency and productivity were 0.10 and 0.12 kg MJ−1, respectively. Diesel fuel and electricity had the biggest contributions in the total energy input. Regression results showed that labor, diesel fuel, manure, electricity and chemicals had significant impact on yield. The amount of GHG emissions was calculated as 82,724 kg CO2eq ha−1 where diesel fuel had the highest emission (61%), followed by electricity (19%) and manure (14%). GWP (Global warming potential) was 0.53 kg CO2eq ha−1(kg Output)−1. The average GWP per MJ output was 0.66 kg CO2eq ha−1(MJ Output)−1, where the highest value belonged to smaller greenhouses. The results of energy analysis, GHG and GWP indicators based on different greenhouse sizes implied better performance of larger greenhouses.