The efficiency of irrigation methods for soybean and corn cultivation

Abstract

Goal. To make an assessment and to determine the effectiveness of different irrigation methods for growing soybeans and corn, which are based on economic and energy parameters. Methods. Short-term field experiment, analytical and statistical methods of experimental data processing. Results. It is confirmed that the use of irrigation in crop production is a highly effective measure of its intensification and provides high economic and energy parameters. Thus, at growing soybeans and corn the highest conditional net profit was received for drip irrigation — 37.88 and 73.85 thousand UAH/ha. The level of profitability made 59.5 and 94.2%, and the lowest cost of production made 10.85 and 3, 78 thousand UAH/t respectively. Economic indicators for subsoil drip irrigation and sprinkling were close in values: conditional net income of soybeans — 19.45 and 18.07 thousand UAH/ha, corn — 53.65 and 54.51 thousand UAH/ha, the level of profitability — 37, 3 and 36.3% and 80.2 and 88.7%, the cost of production — 12.60 and 12.69 thousand UAH/t and 4.07 and 3.88 thousand UAH/t for growing soybeans and corn, respectively. Irrigation increased the energy intensity of soybean and corn cultivation technology by 2.8 and 2.1 times — to 59.6 and 79.6 GJ/ha and 109.2 and 117.5 GJ/ha, respectively. Without irrigation, the costs of soybean production were in the range of 23.6 GJ/ha, corn — 53.6 GJ/ha. Conclusions. The maximum efficiency of soybean and corn cultivation was at the use of drip irrigation. The lower and close in values indicators of economic and energy efficiency of cultivation were fixed for the conditions of subsoil drip irrigation and sprinkling. The lowest efficiency of soybean and corn cultivation was obtained in the conditions of natural moisture, which confirms the significant risks and inexpediency of growing these crops in the Steppe without additional artificial moisture.