Profitability assessment of potato production applying different irrigation methods

Abstract

The present research was conducted during the dry and warm growing seasons of 2011, 2012 and 2013 at Guca, which is a well-known potato-growing region of Serbia. Potato was grown under both rainfed conditions and with irrigation, applying two methods: sprinkler and subsurface drip irrigation. The objective of the research was to conduct a comparative analysis and assess the profitability of potato production under rainfed conditions and with irrigation by these two methods. The main outcome of the research showed that higher yields and more profitable production are achievable with irrigation, compared to rainfed conditions. Subsurface drip irrigation was found to be more profitable than sprinkler irrigation. The results provided insight into the structure and distribution of income and expenses, the income and expense growth trend, the percentage profit growth in the case of sprinkler and subsurface drip irrigation, as well as potential income losses at the national level if the irrigation methods considered are not used. A detailed analysis of the production costs provided insight into the feasibility of optimizing potato-growing approaches for all three types of production. The higher profitability of irrigated potato production opens the question of the need to increase irrigation coverage in Serbia.