Profitability Assessment of Potato Production Applying Different Irrigation Methods

Abstract

The present research was conducted during the dry and warm growing seasons of 2011, 2012 and 2013 at Guča, which is a well-known potato-growing region of Serbia. Potato was grown under both rainfed conditions and with irrigation, applying two methods: sprinkler and subsurface drip irrigation. The objective of the research was to conduct a comparative analysis and assess the profitability of potato production under rainfed conditions and with irrigation by these two methods. The main outcome of the research showed that higher yields and more profitable production are achievable with irrigation, compared to rainfed conditions. Subsurface drip irrigation was found to be more profitable than sprinkler irrigation. The results provided insight into the structure and distribution of income and expenses, the income and expense growth trend, the percentage profit growth in the case of sprinkler and subsurface drip irrigation, as well as potential income losses at the national level if the irrigation methods considered are not used. A detailed analysis of the production costs provided insight into the feasibility of optimizing potato-growing approaches for all three types of production. The higher profitability of irrigated potato production opens the question of the need to increase irrigation coverage in Serbia. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. RÉSUMÉLa présente recherche a été menée au cours des saisons de croissance des périodes chaudes et sèches des années 2011, 2012 et 2013 à Guča, une région de la Serbie bien connue pour la culture de la pomme de terre. La pomme de terre a été cultivée sous conditions pluviales et irriguées. Deux techniques d'irrigation sont utilisées: par aspersion et par goutte-à-goutte enterré. L'objectif de cette étude était de réaliser une analyse comparative et d'évaluer la rentabilité de la production de la culture de la pomme de terre en condition pluviale et par les deux techniques d'irrigation. Les résultats principaux de cette étude ont montré qu'un rendement plus élevé et une production plus rentable sont réalisables en conditions irriguées par rapport aux conditions pluviales. L'irrigation au goutte à goutte enterrée a été trouvée être plus rentable que l'irrigation par aspersion. Les résultats ont fourni un aperçu de la structure et de la répartition des revenus et des dépenses, la tendance de la croissance des revenus et des dépenses, la croissance de la marge bénéficiaire dans l'irrigation par aspersion et l'irrigation au goutte à goutte enterrée, ainsi que les pertes de revenus potentiels au niveau national si les techniques d'irrigation choisies ne sont pas utilisées. Une analyse détaillée des coûts de production a donné un aperçu sur la faisabilité de la croissance de l'approche d'optimisation de la culture de la pomme de terre pour les trois types de production. La rentabilité plus élevée de la production de la pomme de terre irriguée ouvre la question de la nécessité d'accroître la couverture de l'irrigation en Serbie.

Water and Nitrogen Productivity of Potato Growth in Desert Areas under Low-Discharge Drip Irrigation

“…The potato yield from this study (3rd year) attained that value and was similar to the results obtained from the study two years earlier. This supports the evidence that the yield under low-discharge drip irrigation is similar to that reported for sprinkler irrigation and ranges from 30 to 50 ton ha −1 [11,35,36]. In Figure 2, the results obtained for the total tuber yield as a function of nitrogen (F0, 50 100%) and water doses (W40, 60, 80, 100%) are presented.…”

Infra-red thermography for detecting drought in agricultural crops and scheduling irrigation

“…Worldwide, drip irrigation is preferred because of higher yields and better tuber quality, and because it uses less water than other methods. The results of Ørum et al (2010) and Matović et al (2016) also confirmed that subsurface drip irrigation was more profitable than sprinkler irrigation.…”

Climate change impacts on agricultural water management: Challenge for increasing crop productivity in Serbia

“…This period covers both 2006 and 2007 for which the analysis of the economic viability of greenhouse production of tomatoes in FI conditions was performed, which according to the average daily air temperature belong to the group of warm and extremely warm years (Ibid.). Dry and hot vegetative seasons were characteristic for the period from 2011 to 2013 for which the assessment of the economic viability of the production of potatoes was carried out (Matović et al, 2016 The positive economic effect in the case of maize production in FI, compared to rainfed condition, amounts to 164 € The yield of crops heavily depends on the climate trends, which indicates a low level of investment in irrigation systems as well as a large number of individual small farms which are not able to fund preventive measures and mechanisms for the protection against drought and thus limit more intensive agricultural production (Vukelic, Đuričin, 2012, p. 615). State intervention in the reconstruction of existing and construction of new irrigation systems is necessary because the great number of companies in Serbia is characterized by the absence of their ability to obtain funds spent on work and the objects of labor.…”

“…The high variability in the growing of plants that are the main source of food in livestock affected the reduction of the amount of livestock and worsened business performance of enterprises engaged in breeding animals (Đuričin et al, 2013).The increased yield of potatoes due to irrigation would affect the growth of its share in total crop production in Serbia, which is on average 6% (Vukelic, Djuricin, 2012). Average inflow from export of potatoes is considered low due to the fact that it accounts for only 0.01%, 0.18% and 0.08% in total exports of the country, exports of agriculture and food production exports, respectively (Matović et al, 2016). The situation is similar when it comes to maize, one of the most important field crops not only in Serbia but also in the world, which in the last three years, in total exports of the country, as maize in grains, contributes only with 3.31% on average.…”

“…Also, the amount of expenditure was increased based on the occurrence of the variable costs incurred as a result of the application of different irrigation systems. In the case of maize production for irrigation purposes tifon A-82/300, the sprinkler Rain Bird SR 103 EM, was used (Kresović et al, 2014), while during the potato irrigation the sprinkler irrigation was used (Matović et al, 2016). For the purposes of tomato irrigation in terms of reduced irrigation (RDI) and FI the drop by drop system was used (Savić et al, 2011).…”