Energy Consumption Modeling and Sensitivity Analysis of Energy Inputs for Irrigated Wheat Production; Case Study: Ardabil Province

This study was carried out to evaluate the energy consumption pattern and analysis of economic indices to determine the input sensitivity for wheat the production system in Ardabil, Iran. Data were collected from 100 irrigated wheat farms selected during 2017-2018 using a random sampling method. The sensitivity of the energy inputs was estimated using the marginal physical productivity (MPP) method and partial regression coefficients on wheat yield. The results indicated that the total energy input was 38755.34 MJ ha-1, of which approximately 37.38% and 19.04% were from nitrogen fertilizers and diesel fuel, respectively. Approximately, 39.85% of the total energy inputs consumed in wheat production was direct energy, while the remaining 60.07% was indirect. The econometric assessment results revealed that the energy inputs from machinery had a significant influence on the yield. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the MPP value for energy inputs was between -0.23 and 1.67. Also, the MPP value for was the highest, followed by machinery, diesel fuel, chemical fertilizers and chemical sprays energy inputs, respectively.