Improved profitability via enhanced resolution of variable rate application management in grain crop production

摘要

Economic assessment of control of precision application perpendicular to the direction of travel remains lacking. This study uses marginal economic analysis through partial budgeting, break-even production area analysis and payback period in assessingthe potential profitability of this investment. The hypothesis that savings from input application reduction alone can justify the equipment is confirmed for the base scenario examined. The base scenario indicates a gain of US3.43 dollar ha~(-1) for three applications at the median application rate of 1.76 1 ha~(-1) per application and a price of US7.74 dollarI~(-1), a break-even area of 318 ha and a payback period of 3.19 years.