Economic assessment of raspberry cultivation under conditions of raspberry bushy dwarf virus infection

Abstract

Goal. To assess the economic efficiency of growing raspberry varieties Brusviana, Zugana, and Joan Jay in conditions of infection with raspberry bushy dwarf virus (RBDV). Methods. Field (visual inspection of plantations for the presence of pathogens and collection of yield data), laboratory method of enzyme immunoassay (EIA) (diagnosing the virus in samples of plant material), comparative (evaluation of the economic component, taking into account costs and profitability at each stage, as well as the marketable quality of fruits). Results. The study was conducted (2023–2024) in raspberry plantations in the Kyiv region. RBDV infection caused yield decrease by an average of 60.8%, from 58.5% (Brusviana variety) to 62.1% (Joan Jay variety). It was found that most of the harvested crop from infected plants (57.1–79.7%) was suitable only for technical processing. The income from the sale of crops from healthy plants varied between 680.0–827.2 thousand UAH/ha, while the revenue from infected plants decreased by 72.6–78.2%, which affected the financial stability of the enterprise. There was an increase in production cost, the indicator of which in the Zugana variety was the highest (62.7%). Profit from the sale of fruits of all varieties decreased by 95.2–96.0%. In addition, the production of raspberry varieties Joan Jay suffered losses (–6.4 thousand UAH/ha). This indicated a low level of profitability of Brusviana and Zugana varieties (11.2–11.9%), as well as unprofitability of growing Joan Jay variety (–3.7%). The payback period for healthy plants was 2.8–3.0 years; in the case of infection, it increased to 21.5 and 22.5 years for Zugana and Brusviana varieties, respectively. The decrease in the efficiency of growing raspberry varieties infected with RBDV necessitates the monitoring of virus plantations and the introduction of preventive measures (use of modern methods against viruses, selection of resistant varieties). Conclusions. It is proven that the yield of infected raspberry plants of all 3 varieties decreased by 58.5–62.1%, and the revenue from the sale of its fruits by 72.6–78.2%. This indicates the low economic efficiency of growing Brusviana and Zugana varieties, affected by the virus, and the unprofitability of the Joan Jay variety.