Cost-Benefit Analysis of Various Treatments for White Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) cv. Hybrid Snow Ball in the Bundelkhand Region, India

Abstract

The present experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2022–2023 in the Bundelkhand region to evaluate the economic performance of different organic nutrient management practices in the cultivation of White Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.), specifically the Hybrid Snow Ball (White) variety. The study was designed using a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications and eight treatments. The treatments included: T0 – Control (water spray only), T1 – 100% Farmyard Manure (FYM) + Jeevamrit, T2 – 100% Vermicompost (VC) + Jeevamrit, T3 – 100% Poultry Manure (PM) + Jeevamrit, T4 – 50% FYM + 50% VC + Jeevamrit, T5 – 50% FYM + 50% PM + Jeevamrit, T6 – 50% PM + 50% VC + Jeevamrit, and T7 – 33% FYM + 33% PM + 33% VC + Jeevamrit. The crop was cultivated at a spacing of 60 cm × 45 cm (row × plant), with each net plot measuring 2.7 meters in length and 3.0 meters in width. The experimental field had a total net area of 24.3 meters × 9.0 meters and included an irrigation channel size of 50 cm and bunds of 30 cm width. The economic evaluation of the treatments was based on four major parameters: cost of cultivation, gross return, net return, and the benefit-cost (B:C) ratio. The highest cost of cultivation was recorded in Treatment T2 (100% Vermicompost + Jeevamrit) at ₹178,150 per hectare, while the lowest was observed in Treatment T1 (100% FYM + Jeevamrit) at ₹106,150 per hectare. Gross returns were highest in Treatment T7 (33% FYM + 33% PM + 33% VC + Jeevamrit) at ₹570,000 per hectare, whereas Treatment T1 recorded the lowest gross return at ₹390,000 per hectare. Similarly, net returns followed the same pattern, with the highest return of ₹427,900 per hectare in Treatment T7 and the lowest of ₹283,850 per hectare in Treatment T1. The benefit-cost ratio was also found to be most favorable in Treatment T7, which recorded a ratio of 3.01, followed by Treatment T3 (100% Poultry Manure + Jeevamrit) at 2.87. The lowest benefit-cost ratio was observed in the control treatment (T0) at 1.78. In conclusion, the study clearly demonstrates that integrated nutrient management, particularly the combination of FYM, Poultry Manure, and Vermicompost along with Jeevamrit as applied in Treatment T7, significantly enhances the economic viability and profitability of White Brinjal cultivation under the agro-climatic conditions of the Bundelkhand region.