Energy Efficiency and Economic Viability of Mechanized and Conventional Cotton Production Systems under Rainfed Vertisols of Tamil Nadu
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52151/jae2024616.1897Keywords:
Cotton, Economics, Energy, Efficiency, MechanizationAbstract
Energy efficiency is crucial for optimizing energy use, conserving resources, and assessing the input efficiency of agronomic practices. Cotton is known for its economic importance, thus many mechanized cultivation practices have been introduced. This study aimed to evaluate energy consumption and perform an economic analysis of mechanized and conventional cotton production under rainfed conditions in Tamil Nadu. The energy requirements for mechanized and conventional cotton cultivation were 17,001.1 and 15,456.0 MJ ha-1, respectively, with fertilizer application as the most energy consuming component of cotton cultivation in both the methods. Manual cotton cultivation proved to be labor-intensive, requiring 2,215.6 MJ ha-1 of labor energy, compared to just 174.2 MJ ha-1 in mechanized cultivation. Mechanization reduced labor needs by utilizing machinery such as power tillers for weeding and spindle-type cotton pickers for harvesting. In mechanized and conventional cotton cultivation, the contribution of direct, indirect, renewable, and non-renewable energy was 26.7%, 73.3%, 1.0%, 99.0%, and 24.4%, 75.6%, 14.3%, 85.7%, respectively. While the energy ratio, net energy gain, and energy productivity were higher in conventional methods, and mechanized cultivation had a higher specific energy. The total production cost for mechanized cultivation was Rs. 74,290 ha-1, which is 47.8% lower than conventional cultivation (Rs. 140,440 ha-1). Adopting mechanized practices could save Rs. 93,250 ha-1 in labor costs compared to conventional methods. Although the gross income from the Suraksha variety was 10.7% higher with conventional methods, the net income and benefit-cost ratio were greater with mechanized cultivation due to its lower total production costs. The study suggests that efforts to enhance cotton production's energy efficiency should focus on efficient fertilizer use, labor management, and reducing diesel fuel consumption by improving machinery performance.
Downloads
References
Anbarasi, M., & Rajendran, K. (2017). Physiological growth parameters of cotton under mechanized and conventional cultivation with varying crop geometry. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences, 6(12), 408-415. https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2017.612.049
Aytop, Y. (2023). Determination of energy consumption and technical efficiency of cotton farms in Türkiye. Sustainability, 15(14), 11194. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151411194
Balaji, G. A., Geethalakshmi, V., & Prahadeeswaran, M. (2023a). Economic analysis of dryland integrated production system in western agroclimatic zone of Tamil Nadu, India: A DEA approach. Indian Journal of Agricultural Research, 57(2), 189-193. https://doi.org/10.18805/IJARe.A-6039
Balaji, G. A., Geethalakshmi, V., Senthil, A., Prahadeeswaran, M., Iswarya, S., Rajavel, M., Bhuvaneswari, K., Natarajan, B., Senthilraja, K., Gowtham, R., & Priyanka, S. (2023b). Assessment of economic efficiency and its determinants for mixed crop-livestock production under dryland agriculture system in the western zone of Tamil Nadu, India. Sustainability, 15(10), 8332. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15108332
Baran, M. F. (2016). Energy efficiency analysis of cotton production in Turkey: A case study for Adiyaman province. American-Eurasian Journal of Agriculture & Environmental Science, 16(2), 229-233. https://doi.org/10.5829/idosi.aejaes.2016.16.2.12857
Dagistan, E., Akcaoz, H., Demirtas, B., & Yilmaz, Y. (2009). Energy usage and benefit-cost analysis of cotton production in Turkey. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 4(7), 599-604.
Das, M. K., Sarangi, K. K., Mishra, S. N., Mohapatra, B. P., & Dash, A. (2022). Analysis of resource use efficiency and constraints of cotton production in Odisha, India. Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics and Sociology, 40(12), 383-389. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajaees/2022/v40i121806
Dash, B. S., Swain, S. K., Behera, D., Pradhan, P. L., Sahoo, P. K., & Mahapatra, M. (2021). Energy budgeting of paddy-pulse cropping system in Bhadrak District of Odisha and assessment of emission from paddy straw burning. Journal of Agricultural Engineering (India), 58(3), 222-240. https://doi.org/10.52151/jae2021581.1747
Devasenapathy, P., Senthilkumar, G., & Shanmugam, P. M. (2009). Energy management in crop production. Indian Journal of Agronomy, 54(1), 80-90. https://doi.org/10.59797/ija.v54i1.4771
Ghorbani, R., Mondani, F., Amirmoradi, S., Feizi, H., Khorramdel, S., Teimouri, M., Sanjani, S., Anvarkhah, S., & Aghel, H. (2011). A case study of energy use and economic analysis of irrigated and dryland wheat production systems. Applied Energy, 88(1), 283-288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2010.04.028
Govindarajan, K., Gunasekar, J. J., Subramanian, P., & Sampathrajan, A. (2002). Energy consumption scenario for Kar paddy in high rainfall zone of Tamil Nadu. Madras Agricultural Journal, 89(1-3), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.29321/MAJ.10.A00168
Gunasekaran, M., Premalatha, N., Kumar, M., Mahalingam, L., Sakthivel, N., Senguttuvan, K., Latha, P., Meenakhshiganesan, N., Rajeswari, S., & Geetha, S. (2020). Cotton CO17: A short duration, high yielding compact variety suitable for high density planting system. Electronic Journal of Plant Breeding, 11(4), 993-1000. https://doi.org/10.37992/2020.1104.162
Hatirli, S. A., Ozkan, B., & Fert, C. (2006). Energy inputs and crop yield relationship in greenhouse tomato production. Renewable Energy, 31(4), 427-438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2005.04.007
Imran, M., Özçatalbaş, O., & Bashir, M. K. (2020). Estimation of energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emission of cotton crop in South Punjab, Pakistan. Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences, 19(3), 216-224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jssas.2018.09.007
Iswarya, S., Shanmugam, P. M., Somasundaram, E., Chitdeshwari, T., & Suganthy, M. (2024). Energy budgeting and efficiency analysis of organic cotton: A DEA approach. Indian Journal of Agricultural Research, 58(3). https://doi.org/10.18805/IJARe.A-6121
Kamaraj, P., & Kathirvel, K. (2008). Development and evaluation of tractor-operated belt-type cotton planter. Journal of Agricultural Engineering (India), 45(1), 69-72. https://doi.org/10.52151/jae2008451.1316
Kaur, R., Chhina, G. S., Kaur, M., Bhatt, R., Elhindi, K. M., & Mattar, M. A. (2024). Optimizing nutrient and energy efficiency in a direct-seeded rice production system: A northwestern Punjab case study. Agronomy, 14(4), 671. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14040671
Maheswari, M. U., Krishnasamy, S. M., Kumar, M., & Sakthivel, N. (2019). Energy efficiency analysis of machine sown cotton under high density planting system. Research on Crops, 20(2), 430-437. https://doi.org/10.31830/2348-7542.2019.062
Mohammadi, A., & Omid, M. (2010). Economical analysis and relation between energy inputs and yield of greenhouse cucumber production in Iran. Applied Energy, 87(1), 191-196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2009.07.021
Pellegrini, P., & Fernández, R. J. (2018). Crop intensification, land use, and on-farm energy-use efficiency during the worldwide spread of the green revolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(10), 2335-2340. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1717072115
Rani, P. L., Yakadri, M., Mahesh, N., & Bhatt, P. S. (2016). Energy usage and economic analysis of cotton under various weed management practices. Indian Journal of Weed Science, 48(1), 99-101. https://doi.org/10.5958/0974-8164.2016.00026.5
Singh, G., Singh, P., Sodhi, G. P., & Tiwari, D. (2021). Energy auditing and data envelopment analysis (DEA)-based optimization for increased energy use efficiency in wheat cultivation (Triticum aestivum L.) in northwestern India. Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, 47, 101453. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seta.2021.101453
Sriram, J., Kannan, S., Ragavan, T., Sheeba, S., & Sivasankari, B. (2024). Mechanization in cotton farming: Addressing labor shortages and enhancing productivity in India. Journal of Scientific Research and Reports, 30(10), 617-630. https://doi.org/10.9734/jsrr/2024/v30i102488
Tarjuelo, J. M., Rodriguez-Diaz, J. A., Abadía, R., Camacho, E., Rocamora, C., & Moreno, M. A. (2015). Efficient water and energy use in irrigation modernization: Lessons from Spanish case studies. Agricultural Water Management, 162, 67-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2015.08.009
Venkat, R., Mohan, S. S., Rahaman, S., Vinayak, M., Babu, B. H., & Reddy, K. V. (2024). Energy assessment of manual transplanting rice and dry direct seeding rice production systems in combined Nalgonda District, Telangana. Indian Journal of Agricultural Research, 58(1), 95-100. https://doi.org/10.18805/IJARe.A-5912
Wei, W., Mushtaq, Z., Ikram, A., Faisal, M., Wan-Li, Z., & Ahmad, M. I. (2020). Estimating the economic viability of cotton growers in Punjab Province, Pakistan. SAGE Open, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020929310
Zahedi, M., Eshghizadeh, H. R., & Mondani, F. (2014). Energy use efficiency and economic analysis in cotton production system in an arid region: A case study for Isfahan province, Iran. International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, 4(1), 43-52.
