Sustainable Organic Corn Production with the Use of Flame Weeding as the Most Sustainable Economical Solution
2021
Authors
Rajković, MilošMalidža, Goran
Tomas Simin, Mirela
Milić, Dragan
Glavas-Trbić, Danica
Meseldžija, Maja
Vrbničanin, Sava
Article (Published version)
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Flame weeding is an alternative method of weed control. Essentially, it is a supplement to other physical and mechanical processes used in organic production. Weed control costs have a large share of the total cost of crop production. This study aimed to investigate hand weed hoeing's cost-effectiveness, accompanied by inter-row cultivation and flame weeding applied in organic maize production using two different machines to determine the economically best solution. For this purpose, the prototype flame weeder and commercial flame-weeding machinery were used. Designed primarily for smaller fields, the prototype flame weeder was equipped with a cultivator and a 70 kg propane bottle. Commercial Red Dragon flame weeder, fitted with an 800 kg propane tank and featuring no cultivation implements, is designed for larger areas. The analysis has shown that hand hoeing produced a higher yield (8.3 t/ha in total), but it contributed significantly to the production costs. The costs per hectare de...creased when the prototype flame weeder and the commercial Red Dragon flame weeder were used compared to hand hoeing. More beneficial economic impacts were recorded when the prototype flame weeder was used (489.39 euro/ha) than in applying the Red Dragon flame weeder (456.47 euro/ha). The efficacy of flame weeding is somewhat limited and could be enhanced by additional hand hoeing, if the effect of the machine in terms of weeding is observed. However, the analysis has shown that, in this case, investments in additional hand hoeing are not economically justified because the operating costs incurred therein (168 euro/ha) were not met by a yield increase of 500 kg/ha, i.e., a surplus revenue of 100 euro/ha. Moreover, the economic impacts of flame weeding would be considerably more significant in larger fields.
Keywords:
cost-effectiveness / flame weeding / maize / organic agricultural productionSource:
Sustainability, 2021, 13, 2Publisher:
- Basel : MDPI
Funding / projects:
- Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia, institutional funding - 200032 (Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Novi Sad) (RS-200032)
- Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia, institutional funding - 200117 (University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture) (RS-200117)
DOI: 10.3390/su13020572
ISSN: 2071-1050
WoS: 000611748500001
Scopus: 2-s2.0-85099123472
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FiVeRTY - JOUR AU - Rajković, Miloš AU - Malidža, Goran AU - Tomas Simin, Mirela AU - Milić, Dragan AU - Glavas-Trbić, Danica AU - Meseldžija, Maja AU - Vrbničanin, Sava PY - 2021 UR - http://fiver.ifvcns.rs/handle/123456789/2088 AB - Flame weeding is an alternative method of weed control. Essentially, it is a supplement to other physical and mechanical processes used in organic production. Weed control costs have a large share of the total cost of crop production. This study aimed to investigate hand weed hoeing's cost-effectiveness, accompanied by inter-row cultivation and flame weeding applied in organic maize production using two different machines to determine the economically best solution. For this purpose, the prototype flame weeder and commercial flame-weeding machinery were used. Designed primarily for smaller fields, the prototype flame weeder was equipped with a cultivator and a 70 kg propane bottle. Commercial Red Dragon flame weeder, fitted with an 800 kg propane tank and featuring no cultivation implements, is designed for larger areas. The analysis has shown that hand hoeing produced a higher yield (8.3 t/ha in total), but it contributed significantly to the production costs. The costs per hectare decreased when the prototype flame weeder and the commercial Red Dragon flame weeder were used compared to hand hoeing. More beneficial economic impacts were recorded when the prototype flame weeder was used (489.39 euro/ha) than in applying the Red Dragon flame weeder (456.47 euro/ha). The efficacy of flame weeding is somewhat limited and could be enhanced by additional hand hoeing, if the effect of the machine in terms of weeding is observed. However, the analysis has shown that, in this case, investments in additional hand hoeing are not economically justified because the operating costs incurred therein (168 euro/ha) were not met by a yield increase of 500 kg/ha, i.e., a surplus revenue of 100 euro/ha. Moreover, the economic impacts of flame weeding would be considerably more significant in larger fields. PB - Basel : MDPI T2 - Sustainability T1 - Sustainable Organic Corn Production with the Use of Flame Weeding as the Most Sustainable Economical Solution IS - 2 VL - 13 DO - 10.3390/su13020572 ER -
@article{ author = "Rajković, Miloš and Malidža, Goran and Tomas Simin, Mirela and Milić, Dragan and Glavas-Trbić, Danica and Meseldžija, Maja and Vrbničanin, Sava", year = "2021", abstract = "Flame weeding is an alternative method of weed control. Essentially, it is a supplement to other physical and mechanical processes used in organic production. Weed control costs have a large share of the total cost of crop production. This study aimed to investigate hand weed hoeing's cost-effectiveness, accompanied by inter-row cultivation and flame weeding applied in organic maize production using two different machines to determine the economically best solution. For this purpose, the prototype flame weeder and commercial flame-weeding machinery were used. Designed primarily for smaller fields, the prototype flame weeder was equipped with a cultivator and a 70 kg propane bottle. Commercial Red Dragon flame weeder, fitted with an 800 kg propane tank and featuring no cultivation implements, is designed for larger areas. The analysis has shown that hand hoeing produced a higher yield (8.3 t/ha in total), but it contributed significantly to the production costs. The costs per hectare decreased when the prototype flame weeder and the commercial Red Dragon flame weeder were used compared to hand hoeing. More beneficial economic impacts were recorded when the prototype flame weeder was used (489.39 euro/ha) than in applying the Red Dragon flame weeder (456.47 euro/ha). The efficacy of flame weeding is somewhat limited and could be enhanced by additional hand hoeing, if the effect of the machine in terms of weeding is observed. However, the analysis has shown that, in this case, investments in additional hand hoeing are not economically justified because the operating costs incurred therein (168 euro/ha) were not met by a yield increase of 500 kg/ha, i.e., a surplus revenue of 100 euro/ha. Moreover, the economic impacts of flame weeding would be considerably more significant in larger fields.", publisher = "Basel : MDPI", journal = "Sustainability", title = "Sustainable Organic Corn Production with the Use of Flame Weeding as the Most Sustainable Economical Solution", number = "2", volume = "13", doi = "10.3390/su13020572" }
Rajković, M., Malidža, G., Tomas Simin, M., Milić, D., Glavas-Trbić, D., Meseldžija, M.,& Vrbničanin, S.. (2021). Sustainable Organic Corn Production with the Use of Flame Weeding as the Most Sustainable Economical Solution. in Sustainability Basel : MDPI., 13(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020572
Rajković M, Malidža G, Tomas Simin M, Milić D, Glavas-Trbić D, Meseldžija M, Vrbničanin S. Sustainable Organic Corn Production with the Use of Flame Weeding as the Most Sustainable Economical Solution. in Sustainability. 2021;13(2). doi:10.3390/su13020572 .
Rajković, Miloš, Malidža, Goran, Tomas Simin, Mirela, Milić, Dragan, Glavas-Trbić, Danica, Meseldžija, Maja, Vrbničanin, Sava, "Sustainable Organic Corn Production with the Use of Flame Weeding as the Most Sustainable Economical Solution" in Sustainability, 13, no. 2 (2021), https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020572 . .