International Journal of Pure & Applied Bioscience (IJPAB)
Year : 2018, Volume : 6, Issue : 2
First page : (304) Last page : (310)
Article doi: : http://dx.doi.org/10.18782/2320-7051.6232

Energy Requirement and Management in Castor Production

Kumar Naik, A. H.¹ and Sridhara, S.²*
¹Assistant Professor of Agronomy, All India Coordinated Research Project on Castor, Zonal Agricultural, and Horticultural Research Station, Babbur Farm, Hiriyur, Karnataka.577 598
²Professor of Agronomy, University of Agricultural & Horticultural Sciences, Shimoga
*Corresponding Author E-mail: kumarahphd@gmail.com
Received: 7.02.2018  |  Revised: 15.03.2018   |  Accepted: 21.03.2018  

 ABSTRACT

Mechanization of agricultural field operations sooner than later is the need of the hour in the present Indian Agriculture. Mechanisation of critical operations for rainfed castor crop requires special attention for achieving higher productivity to meet the future demands and challenges of food security. This study was carried out to study the impact of mechanization of critical operations like sowing, inter-cultivation and shelling on productivity and economics of castor cultivation under medium black soil both conventional method and mechanized method. The study reflects the energy use patterns in mechanized and traditional farming system. Results showed that the performance of castor in selective mechanization imposed plot, the total input energy required in the cultivation of castor crop was 9518 MJ /ha which accounted higher by 352 MJ/ha as compared to the normal plot (9166 MJ/ha).  Whereas, energy output (31561 MJ/ha), net energy returns (21683 MJ/ha), specific energy (4.4 MJ/ha) and energy productivity (0.23 kg/MJ) were higher with selective mechanization as compared to normal cultivation (27563 MJ/h; 18397; 4.89 MJ/ha; 0.20 kg/MJ). The flow of energy use efficiency in the mechanized plot (3.67kg/MJ/unit) was slightly higher than normal plot (3.3 kg/MJ/unit). Net energy returns (MJ/ha) also quite higher in the mechanized plot (20, 105 MJ/ha) than normal plot (16,135 MJ/ha) (Table 4). Overall it is seen that the application of modern implements and machinery for the crop production over the traditional practices reduces the cost of production which surely impact on the crop production and the net income of the farmers.

Key words: Traditional, Mechanical, Energy, Castor

Full Text : PDF; Journal doi : http://dx.doi.org/10.18782

Cite this article: Naik, K.A.H. and Sridhara, S., Energy Requirement and Management in Castor Production, Int. J. Pure App. Biosci. 6(2): 304-310 (2018). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18782/2320-7051.6232