Indicators of Economic Efficiency on Strawberry Yield Under the Influence of Three Different Mulches and Two Fertilizers
Abstract
One of the most important characteristics of modern strawberry cultivars is fruit size, whitch is estimated in the course of selection on the basis of the single fruit weight. The profitability of crops depends on the level and quality of production, the possibility of capitalization, but also on production costs, which should be as low as possible. The present study aims to analyze the economic efficiency in case of strawberry culture experiments performed with different culture technologies: ten cultivars, three different mulches and two fertilizers. Indicators of economic efficiency (unit cost of production, unit gross profit, profit rate, labor productivity, production costs on equivalent product) were calculated for each variant separately. Biological material was ten genotipes of strawberry, gruped in three maturing varieties [(early maturing:‘Alba’, ‘Premial’), medium maturing varieties (‘Kimberly’, ‘Korona’, , ‘Elsanta’, ‘Vima Zanta’) and late maturing varieties (‘Elliany’ ‘Viktoriana’ ‘Virena’, ‘Vima Xima’)], in the form of strawberry runners. The second experimental factor having three graduation was type of mulch (agro-textile, 0,04 mm thick black polyethylene and straw) and the third experimental factor fertilizer systems [poultry manure and chemical fertilizer (NPK complex 28:8:16 ratio)] . The research is based on a comparative analysis of revenue and expenditure per hectare of cultivation and the production results obtained in comparative experiments. Late maturing cultivars, being a productive varieties, which during all experimental years registered the highest production, is ranked first in terms of profit. The selling price level influences the achievement of a high uniform profit, also influenced by the adjustment mechanism of market supply and demand, depending on the seasonality of production.
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