Energy use efficiency and economic feasibility of Jerusalem artichoke production on arid and coastal saline lands

Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) is a potential biofuel feedstock crop in China. To conduct a comprehensive evaluation of energy use efficiency and economic perspectives for this crop, face-to-face surveys were collected from farmers in Gansu and Shandong provinces. The results demonstrated highest energy use efficiency (2.47 in Gansu and 2.37 in Shandong), net energy (59,926 MJ/ha in Gansu and 55,298 MJ/ha in Shandong) and energy productivity (0.77 kg/MJ in Gansu and 0.74 kg/MJ in Shandong) for Jerusalem artichoke plantation size ranging from 4.0-20.0 ha in Gansu and for plantation sizes > 35.0 ha in Shandong. Moreover, the lowest total production costs, namely, 9913 CNY/ha and 12,264 CNY/ha, were incurred by plantation size of 20.1-35.0 ha in size in both Gansu and Shandong, respectively. In addition, the highest benefit/cost ratio and economic productivity values were observed for plantation size of 4.0-20.0 ha in Gansu (2.60 and 2.89 kg/CNY, respectively) and > 35.0 ha in Shandong (1.96 and 2.17 kg/CNY, respectively). Consequently, plantation size of < 35.0 ha in Gansu and > 35.0 ha in Shandong are recommended for Jerusalem artichoke production with the use of mechanization in conjunction with the use of Jerusalem artichoke straw for bioenergy production. Therefore, Jerusalem artichoke may make a large contribution in meeting the growing future challenges for bioenergy production for an expanding population.