Economic Study of Bio-Fertilizer Effectiveness on Yield and Profitability in Corn Fields

Improper use of chemical fertilizers in recent decades has endangered the health of humans and other living organisms while creating adverse consequences for environmental pollution and upsetting the balance of nutrients in the soil. To this end, the promotion of the use of bio-fertilizers (EM) by the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad is on the agenda, but unfortunately it has not been well received. Obviously, the use of new inputs is important in the decision-making of farmers, the effects of income and economic benefit. This study, which was funded by the Agricultural Jihad Organization of Kohgiluyeh-va-Boyerahmad Provinces, seeks to answer the question of whether the use of biofertilizers, given their high cost, can increase profitability.

The implementation of this research in the cropping year of 2018-19 in the form of a research-extension project in a corn farm with an area of one hectare in the suburbs of Basht city was carried out under farmer conditions. For this purpose, a field experiment in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with six fertilizer treatments and three replications in farmer conditions and the costs, gross margin and economic benefits of each treatment were compared. The accounting profit formula was used to calculate the profits of the mentioned farms. Since the calculation of initial investments and fixed costs for all six farms is fixed, in this study, the method of calculating the gross margin (GM), which is actually an estimate of farm profits, was used. The the gross margin is calculated from the difference between sales revenue and total current expenses for the same cropping year.

The results of analysis of variance of field experiment showed that fertilizer treatments had a significant effect on revenue and farm profit (gross margin) at the level of probability (P = 0.01). Based on the comparison of the average revenue and farm profit using Duncan's test, it was found that the lowest farm profit and revenue related to chemical fertilizer treatment only (or control treatment) (C) and the highest revenue related to integrated treatment of biofertilizer, chemical fertilizer and organic (BOC). Comparison of the averages of the effect of fertilizer treatments on gross income as well as farm profit was determined using Duncan's test at a probability level of 5%. The lowest farm profit, in the amount of 101.9 thousand tomans per hectare related to the chemical fertilizer treatment only (or control treatment) (C) and the highest farm profit, related to the chemical fertilizer treatment+bio fertilizer+organic fertilizer (BOC) in the amount of 382.8 thousand tomans. Other treatments with averages of 122.1, 200.9, 254.4 and 357.6 thousand tomans related to organic fertilizer (O), biofertilizer+chemical fertilizer (BC), biofertilizer (B) and biofertilizer+organic fertilizer (BO) treatments, respectively.