Articles
ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT IRRIGATION REGIMES IN MANGO PRODUCTION IN NORTHERN THAILAND
Article number
831_34
Pages
293 – 300
Language
English
Abstract
Thailand is one of the biggest mango producing countries in the world.
In northern Thailand mango is produced mainly in small to medium sized farms for the domestic market. Chok Anan is an autochthonous variety of northern Thailand which is locally used for fresh consumption and small-scale processing.
It is appreciated for its light to bright yellow color and its sweet taste.
Most of the fruit development of on-season mango fruits takes place during the dry season.
As mango trees are drought stress tolerant, production without supplementary irrigation is possible.
However, where applied, irrigation ensures high yields and good fruit quality.
As water is an increasingly scarce resource, water saving irrigation methods are being investigated with respect to their potential in increasing water use efficiency (WUE). So far, there are two methods of reduced irrigation for saving water in fruit production.
One is regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) where a certain percentage of evapotranspiration (ET) is replaced by irrigation applied over the entire rootzone.
The other is partial rootzone drying (PRD) where at each irrigation time only one side of the tree row is watered with the other side is left to dry, before being irrigated next.
Stress responses of the plants dry side are thought to reduce vegetative growth in favor of fruit growth and thus, increase WUE.
Based on data from four years of field trials a yield response function to water availability for Chok Anan mangoes was developed.
Data about the fruit size distribution were recorded and graded according to locally used systems.
The increase in farmers income due to irrigation was estimated as a function of yield quantity and quality in terms of fruit size.
The costs for different irrigation systems were calculated based on data from local sellers for surface, drip and micro-sprinkler irrigation systems.
Break even points and pay-back period for the installation costs were calculated.
Maintenance of the irrigation system, water price and pumping costs were calculated as variable costs of irrigation.
Three different scenarios in terms of water price and price of energy have been calculated in order to evaluate applicability of deficit irrigation strategies.
In northern Thailand mango is produced mainly in small to medium sized farms for the domestic market. Chok Anan is an autochthonous variety of northern Thailand which is locally used for fresh consumption and small-scale processing.
It is appreciated for its light to bright yellow color and its sweet taste.
Most of the fruit development of on-season mango fruits takes place during the dry season.
As mango trees are drought stress tolerant, production without supplementary irrigation is possible.
However, where applied, irrigation ensures high yields and good fruit quality.
As water is an increasingly scarce resource, water saving irrigation methods are being investigated with respect to their potential in increasing water use efficiency (WUE). So far, there are two methods of reduced irrigation for saving water in fruit production.
One is regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) where a certain percentage of evapotranspiration (ET) is replaced by irrigation applied over the entire rootzone.
The other is partial rootzone drying (PRD) where at each irrigation time only one side of the tree row is watered with the other side is left to dry, before being irrigated next.
Stress responses of the plants dry side are thought to reduce vegetative growth in favor of fruit growth and thus, increase WUE.
Based on data from four years of field trials a yield response function to water availability for Chok Anan mangoes was developed.
Data about the fruit size distribution were recorded and graded according to locally used systems.
The increase in farmers income due to irrigation was estimated as a function of yield quantity and quality in terms of fruit size.
The costs for different irrigation systems were calculated based on data from local sellers for surface, drip and micro-sprinkler irrigation systems.
Break even points and pay-back period for the installation costs were calculated.
Maintenance of the irrigation system, water price and pumping costs were calculated as variable costs of irrigation.
Three different scenarios in terms of water price and price of energy have been calculated in order to evaluate applicability of deficit irrigation strategies.
Authors
K. Satienperakul, P. Manochai, S. Ongprasert, W. Spreer, J. Müller
Keywords
Mangifera indica, pay-back period, break-even point, water price, partial rootzone drying, PRD, deficit irrigation
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