ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF IRRIGATION AND FERTILIZATION IN SUGAR BEET PRODUCTION

1. ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF IRRIGATION AND FERTILIZATION IN SUGAR BEET PRODUCTION Livija Maksimović*, Jovan Babović**, Marko Carić**, Stanko Milić*, Constantin Nicolescu**** *Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Novi Sad, Serbia *** The Faculty of Economy and Engineering Management of Novi Sad, Serbia **** Nacional Research and Development Institute for Optoelectronics – Branch of the Research Institute of Hydralics and Pneumatics, Bucharest, Romania

2. INTRODUCTION The sugarbeet is the main raw material for the sugar industry of Serbia. In the Vojvodina Province, sugarbeets are grown at 80-100 000 ha. Because of the insufficient amount and unfavorable distribution of rainfall during the growing season, water deficits are particularly severe in July and August, resulting sugarbeet yield losses that are often as high as 50% and may reach as much as 90% in extremely dry years. This calls for high and stable yields each year, which is not possible under natural water supply conditions. Biotechnologies increase productivity, as well as cost prices, so it is necessary to re-establish proper water regime of soil in order to provide the optimal yield and reduce the risk to the minimum.

3. MATERIALS AND METHODS The analysis of production and economic effects of irrigation on yields of sugar beet and sugar per hectare was carried out on the carbonate humus of favourable water-physical and chemical characteristics at Rimski Šančevi during the period 2004-2006. The experiment was set as split-plot design in four repetitions using raindrop irrigation. During the experiment moisture soil treatments were kept from 60% to 65% and the field water capacity (FWC) of 75%-80% with a control variant being included. The mathematical-statistical data processing was done by analysing regression, correlation and variance. The influence of precipitation, irrigation and applied levels of fertilization on sugar beet yield trends was examined. The economic analysis was done according to the calculating method under the production conditions without irrigation, as well as under irrigation according to standards and market prices being increased by an income tax.

4. Climate conditions, precipitation and temperatures

5. The amount and distribution of precipitation and air temperature have an influence on sugar beet yield. Precipitation over the researched area varies significantly, with lower amounts during the vegetation period. During summers, with changeable climate conditions being characterized as semiarid to arid, larger sugar beet yield can be achieved under irrigation, because the needs for even availability of water supplies are 590 mm during vegetation The correlation coefficients show the influence of precipitation and irrigation activities on yield during a three-year period: without irrigation: Y = 48.7 + 0.049 X, r = 0.843, Sy = 3.049 with irrigation : Y = 124.03 – 0.032 X, r = 0.414, Sy = 5.610 Regarding temperature, the critical period comes in the second half of vegetation period when roots grow. Mean daily temperatures were above 21.0°C during vegetation period in 2004, while they were predominantly in their optimum during 2005 and 2006.

6. Table 1 - Water balance of sugarbeet in the location of Novi Sad (1966-2003) THE INFLUENCE OF IRRIGATION ON YIELDS OF SUGAR BEET AND SUGAR Sugar beet yield (t/ha) In the three-year period, sugar beet yield in both treatments under irrigation was approximately increased by 8.2 t/ha or 9.5%, which was in accordance with the former research during rainy years, when the yield was increased by 10% to 12% (Dragović et al., 1998). By the treatment of 60%-65% of the FWC under irrigation, the yield was increased by 9.6 t/ha or 11.1%, and by the treatment of 75%-80% of the FWC it was 6.8 t/ha or 7.8%.

7. Table 1 - Water balance of sugarbeet in the location of Novi Sad (1966-2003) THE INFLUENCE OF IRRIGATION ON YIELDS OF SUGAR BEET AND SUGAR Influence of irrigation on the sugar yield digestion (%) The amounts of sugar yield given by digestion are less under irrigation by -0.41% and the percentage of digestion is less in both treatments, as well as on average under irrigation. Irrigation influenced the decrease of sugar content in the research period The influence of precipitation and irrigation on the sugar content - digestion: without irrigation: Y = 13.72 + 0.002 X, r = 0.364, Sy = 0.836 with irrigation : Y = 27.50 – 0.013 X, r = 0.515, Sy = 1.678 There is an influence of precipitation on digestion under the conditions without irrigation, and under irrigation it also has a negative influence on digestion.

8. Table 1 - Water balance of sugarbeet in the location of Novi Sad (1966-2003) THE INFLUENCE OF IRRIGATION ON YIELDS OF SUGAR BEET AND SUGAR Sugar production per hectare (t/ha) The sugar production per hectare under irrigation was approximately increased by 0.9 t/ha because of larger sugar beet root yield. In 2005 irrigation had no production effect, because of lower yield and digestion. The greatest effects measured by yield were observed during 2004 and 2006, while decrease of effects was noticed in 2005.

9. ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF IRRIGATION On average, incomes under irrigation (4,897 $/t) are larger by 449 $/ha or 10.1%, and profit by 241 $/ha or 17.6%. In 2005 incomes and profit under irrigation expressed in dollars were less in comparison with the cases without irrigation, which was a result of yield decrease and digestion during the observed year. In 2004 and 2006 the effects expressed by incomes and profit under irrigation were much greater than the average amounts, which proved the presumption that irrigation provided both production and economic effects to be much larger than in the case of production without irrigation

10. EFFICIENCY, PROFITABILITY AND PRODUCTIVITY IN SUGAR BEET PRODUCTION Economic indicators expressed by coefficients of efficiency and profitability show that greater efficiency and profitability are gained under irrigation. Efficiency indicates that there is profit of 1.49 dollars to a dollar invested in irrigation, as compared to 1.44 dollars under the conditions without irrigation. The production profitability (profit / income x 100) indicates that there is a profitability rate of 32.8% with irrigation, and 30.7% without irrigation

11. C O N C L U S I O N The research during a rainy three-year period shows that greater effects are measured by the yield of 8.2 t/ha in sugar beet production under irrigation, than those under the conditions without irrigation. The greatest effects are gained by the treatment of 60%-65% of the FWC on average of 9.6 t/ha. By the treatment of 75%-80% of the FWC an effect of 6.8 t/ha is gained On average, sugar production under irrigation yields 14.8 t/ha of sugar and it is larger by 0.9 t/ha because of greater yield, and if digestion is lower by 0.41% under irrigation. Irrigation effects among the researched varieties are different. Yield is larger in all varieties with irrigation and an effect per hectare ranges from 5.7 t/ha to 12.1 t/ha as compared to the amounts of yield without irrigation. On average, sugar digestion under irrigation is 15.74% and it is less by 0.41% in comparison with the one in the system without irrigation (r = 0.515).

12. C O N C L U S I O N Economic effects show that, on average, the income of 4,897 $/ha is gained and it is greater by 10.1% in sugar beet production with irrigation, and the profit of 1,607 $/ha and it is greater by 17.6% comparing the indicators under the conditions without irrigation. The economic indicators show that under irrigation more significant efficiency and profitability in sugar beet production are gained and more working time is spent by the produced tone of sugar beet per hectare. Under irrigation, efficiency amounts to 1.49, profitability to 32.8% and productivity to 1.28 hours by the produced tone of sugar beet. If there were more rainless years during our research, the given effects would have been more profound and production more profitable

13. Thank you for attention!