Energy balance of a tomato cropIt is important to point out that the energy consumption involved along the tomato cultivation depends on factors that are very complex to estimate. In this work, basically, the energy contained in the labor, in the necessary fuel for production and application of fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, and for production and operation of tractors and equipments, during the development of the tomato crop were considered. The methodology used to obtain the energy balance of the crop was proposed by Serra et al. (1979). The total energy consumption observed was equal to 2,687,432 MJ ha-1, while the tomato plant produced 26,013 MJ ha-1. The available average global solar energy was equal to 2,515,303 MJ ha-1 and the average productivity of tomato was 23.94 t ha-1.
calorific power; energetic efficiency; fertilizer
