Economics of chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.) cv. snowball as influenced by nitrogen and phosphorus levels

Introduction

Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.) is one of the most important commercial flower crops grown worldwide for cut flowers, loose flowers, and ornamental purposes. It belongs to the family Asteraceae and holds a prominent position in the floriculture industry due to its wide range of colours, forms, and sizes, making it suitable for various decorative purposes including garlands, religious offerings, and floral arrangements (Gune et al., 2019) [7] . The 'Snowball' variety of Chrysanthemum, developed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, is popular in central India (Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar). Plants are 30-35 cm high with deep green leaves, average flower diameter of 10-15 cm, and each flower weighs 25-35 g. The flower buds appear in 40-50 days, picking starts from 80 days, and gives yield of around 15-20 t ha⁻¹. Plant nutrition has a direct influence on crop physiology, and the most significant inputs are optimal fertilizer application, which has a direct impact on plant development, growth, output, and quality (Li et al., 2019; Chaitra et al., 2018) [9,6] . Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) are the main components of chemical fertilizers necessary for plant development. Nitrogen boosts photosynthetic activity and vegetative development in plants and is a necessary component of amino acids and nucleic acids. Conversely, phosphorus (P), which is present in enzymes, phospholipids, and nucleic acids, is necessary for the best possible metabolism. Potassium (K) enriches a range of floral crops and is essential for respiration, transpiration, and the synthesis of proteins, amino acids, and chlorophyll. Past research indicates that Chrysanthemum morifolium growth, production, and quality are influenced by plant nitrogen, phosphate fertilizer, potash, and organic fertilizer. For instance, it was found that the best amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus for greater flower output were 300 and 150 kg ha⁻¹ in chrysanthemum cv. Nilima. Different nitrogen and phosphorus treatment doses have been proven to be extremely effective in achieving good growth and [10] .

Considering the above facts and the importance of economic viability in commercial flower production, the present investigation was undertaken to study the economics of different nitrogen and phosphorus levels on chrysanthemum cv. Snowball and to find out the most profitable combination of nitrogen and phosphorus for maximizing returns.

Materials and Methods

Experimental Details:

The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (4 × 3 factorial) comprising four levels of nitrogen (0, 40, 60 and 80 kg ha⁻¹) and three levels of phosphorus (0, 100 and 150 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹) making twelve treatment combinations, each replicated three times. Potassium (K₂O) @ 100 kg ha⁻¹ was uniformly applied in all the plots.

Fertilizer Application

Nitrogen and phosphorus were applied through urea (46% N) and single super phosphate (16% P₂O₅), respectively, as per treatment details. Potassium was applied through muriate of potash (60% K₂O) uniformly @ 100 kg ha⁻¹. Half dose of nitrogen, total phosphorus and potash were applied as basal dressing before transplanting, and the remaining half quantity of nitrogen was applied at 20 days after transplanting as top dressing.

Economics Computation

The economics was worked out on the basis of prevailing market prices for different inputs (fertilizers, labour, plant protection chemicals, etc.) and output (flowers The increase in flower yield might be owing to increased roots, relative leaf water content and root biomass that could be ascribed to a better vegetative growth due to photosynthetic activity, which induces better translocation and partitioning of assimilates towards the yield (Santosh and Datta, 2006) [14] .

Cost of Cultivation:

The cost of cultivation for different treatment combinations varied depending upon the quantity of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers applied (Table 2). The cost of cultivation increased with increasing levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. The minimum cost of cultivation (₹ 35,000 ha⁻¹) was recorded in control treatment N₀P₀ (0 kg N + 0 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹), while the maximum cost of cultivation (₹ 42,250 ha⁻¹) was recorded in treatment N₃P₂ (80 kg N + 150 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹). This increase in cost of cultivation was attributed to the additional cost of fertilizers and their application.

Gross Returns, Net Returns and B:C Ratio

The economics of different treatment combinations is presented in Table 3. The gross returns were calculated based on the flower yield obtained from each treatment at the prevailing market price of ₹ 10,000 per tonne. Among all the treatment combinations, N₂P₁ recorded the highest gross returns (₹ 2,81,700 ha⁻¹), followed by N₂P₂ (₹ 2,56,300 ha⁻¹), while N₀P₀ recorded the lowest gross returns (₹ 1,00,800 ha⁻¹). Nitrogen Levels and Economics: Among the nitrogen levels, N₂ (60 kg N ha⁻¹) recorded the highest net returns (mean of all phosphorus levels) of ₹ 1,55,900 ha⁻¹, followed by N₃ (80 kg N ha⁻¹) with ₹ 1,07,183 ha⁻¹ (Table 4). The lowest net returns (₹ 79,350 ha⁻¹) were recorded with N₀ (0 kg N ha⁻¹).

Phosphorus Levels and Economics: Among the phosphorus levels, P₁ (100 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹) recorded the highest net returns (mean of all nitrogen levels) of ₹ 1,37,313 ha⁻¹, followed by P₂ (150 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹) with ₹ 1,22,513 ha⁻¹ (Table 5). The lowest net returns (₹ 89,138 ha⁻¹) were recorded with P₀ (0 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹).

Benefit-Cost Ratio Analysis

The benefit-cost ratio is an important parameter for assessing the economic viability of different treatments. The data revealed that the B:C ratio ranged from 2.88 (N₀P₀) to 5.91 (N₂P₁). Among the nitrogen levels, N₂ (60 kg N ha⁻¹) recorded the highest mean B:C ratio of 5.75, followed by N₃ (3.64) (Table 4). Among the phosphorus levels, P₁ (100 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹) recorded the highest mean B:C ratio of 4.42, followed by P₂ (3.99) (Table 5). The higher net returns and B:C ratio with N₂P₁ treatment could be attributed to the significantly higher flower yield obtained under this treatment, which more than compensated the additional cost of fertilizers. These findings are in close conformity with the results reported by several researchers. The economic analysis clearly demonstrated that the treatment combination N₂P₁ (60 kg N ha⁻¹ + 100 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹) was the most profitable for chrysanthemum cv. Snowball. The higher net returns and B:C ratio under this treatment could be attributed to the significantly higher flower yield, which was the result of optimum nutrient supply. Nitrogen plays a crucial role in promoting vegetative growth, which provides better photosynthetic area and more assimilates for flower formation. Phosphorus plays a vital role in energy transfer reactions and promotes cell division, leading to more flower buds and flowers (Rao et al., 1992; Baboo and Sharma, 1997) [4,13] . The increase in flower yield with N₂P₁ treatment might be owing to increased roots, relative leaf water content and root biomass that could be ascribed to a better vegetative growth due to photosynthetic activity, which induces better translocation and partitioning of towards the yield (Santosh and Datta, 2006) [14] . The application of phosphorus @ 100 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹ significantly improved the flower yield, which ultimately increased the gross returns, leading to higher net returns and B:C ratio.

The results of the present investigation are in close conformity with the findings of various researchers. Rao et al. (1992) [13] reported that application of nitrogen and phosphorus significantly increased the flower yield and economics of chrysanthemum. Baboo and Sharma (1997) [13] observed that combined application of nitrogen and phosphorus gave the maximum net returns in chrysanthemum. Amit et al. (2004) [3] reported that the treatment combination of 60 kg N + 100 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹ gave the highest net returns and B:C ratio in chrysanthemum. Baboo and Singh (2003) [4] also reported similar findings in chrysanthemum. Agrawal et al. (2002) and Pushkar et al.

(2008) [2,12] reported that nitrogen and phosphorus application significantly improved the economics of marigold. Santosh and Datta (2006) [14] also observed maximum net returns with optimum NPK application in gladiolus. The higher B:C ratio under N₂P₁ treatment (5.91) indicates that the investment is highly profitable and sustainable for commercial production of chrysanthemum. The incremental B:C ratio of 31.46 further confirms that every additional rupee invested in this treatment gives exceptionally high returns, making it the most economically viable option.

Conclusion

Based on the findings of the present investigation, it can be concluded that for obtaining higher flower yield, maximum net returns and higher benefit-cost ratio in Chrysanthemum cv. Snowball under Allahabad conditions, combined application of nitrogen @ 60 kg ha⁻¹ and phosphorus @ 100 kg P₂O₅ ha⁻¹ with a uniform dose of potassium @ 100 kg K₂O ha⁻¹ is recommended. The treatment N₂P₁ not only gave the highest flower yield but also proved economically most viable with a B:C ratio of 5.91, making it highly suitable for commercial cultivation.

References

1. Acharya S, Dashora LK. Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus on growth and flowering of marigold. J Ornam Hortic. 2004;7(1):75-78.
2. Agrawal RP, Singh R, Singh KK. Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus on growth and flower yield of marigold. Prog Hortic. 2002;34(2):189-192.
3. Amit M, Singh K, Kumar S, Singh KP. Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus on growth and flowering of chrysanthemum. J Ornam Hortic. 2004;7(1):42-46.
4. Baboo R, Sharma SK. Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus on growth and flowering of chrysanthemum. Haryana J Hortic Sci. 1997;26(12):24-27.
5. Baboo R, Singh R. Response of nitrogen and phosphorus on growth and flower yield of chrysanthemum. J Ornam Hortic. 2003;6(2):148-151.
6. Chaitra R, Krishnappa KS, Prashanth M, Reddy SK. Effect of integrated nutrient management on growth, yield and quality of chrysanthemum. Int J Curr Microbiol Appl Sci. 2018;7(5):210-219.
7. Gune S, Kumar S, Singh P. Chrysanthemum: A medicinal and ornamental plant. Med Plants Res. 2019;9(4):56-68.
8. Jackson ML. Soil Chemical Analysis. New York: Prentice Hall Inc.; 1958.
9. Li J, Zhang Y, Wang X. Effect of NPK fertilization on chrysanthemum growth and quality. J Plant Growth Regul. 2019;38(2):567-578.
10. Matsumura Y, Tanaka H, Watanabe H. Optimum fertilizer dose for chrysanthemum flower yield. J Hortic Sci Biotechnol. 2020;95(6):789-798.
11. Olsen SR, Cole CV, Watanabe FS, Dean LA. Estimation of available phosphorus in soils by extraction with sodium bicarbonate. USDA Circ. 1954;939:1-19.
12. Pushkar D, Singh B, Sharma AK. Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus on growth and flowering of marigold. J Agric Sci. 2008;48(3):245-249.
13. Rao MM, Reddy BS, Prasad R. Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus on growth and flowering of chrysanthemum. J Res APAU. 1992;20(1):45-50.
14. Santosh K, Datta S. Effect of NPK on growth and flowering of gladiolus. J Ornam Hortic. 2006;9(2):112116.
15. Subbiah BV, Asija GL. A rapid procedure for the estimation of available nitrogen in soils. Curr Sci. 1956;25:259-260.
16. Walkley A, Black IA. An examination of the Degtjareff method for determining soil organic matter and a proposed modification of the chromic acid titration method. Soil Sci. 1934;37:29-38.