Château-Musa - Bioversity International

did not contain inorganic fertilizers (except for
T6 and T10, the latter being the control).
If competitiveness (profitability) and
sustainability is the measure of success, the
economic analysis of the mother plant crop
indicates that the control treatment is profitable
for the mother plant crop but over the course of
time, soil fertility declines and is only restored
by the addition of organic and/or inorganic
fertilizers.
Treatments T5 and T8, the profitability of
which was reduced because of the high cost
of chicken manure, were amongst the best
treatments. Production was always higher
in the ratoon crop than in the mother plant
crop. Furthermore, in terms of sustainability,
soil fertility can be maintained or improved
by adding fertilizers. The practice can be
considered expensive, in particular organic
fertilization, for the first crops but, as the
system becomes established, fertilizer costs
tend to fall, and the crop then contributes
after harvest between 70 and 80% of the soil
biomass.
An economic analysis was also made for the
ratoon crop. The information is presented in
Tables 6 and 7. In the ratoon crop, T10 had the
lowest variable costs, and hence the highest
net profit and highest rate of marginal return
(Table 8).
If the information generated by this study
were available to farmers, they would
undoubtedly prefer treatment T10, because
the investment would yield the highest profit.
T4 had the second best net profit, but with
a lower marginal rate of return. T8 ranked
third for net profit and second for the rate of
marginal return. For these reasons, T10 or T8
must be recommended. However, if a similar
importance is attached to sustainability as
profitability, the most suitable treatment is T8,
which included 75% inorganic fertilizer and 1.2
kg of chicken manure.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the CORPOICA
and the Comité Departemental de Cafeteros
of Quindío for their financial support for the
development of this research, and José Héctor
García Angarita, owner of the Curramba
plantation.
References
Castillo L.E., S. Belalcázar C., J.A Valencia M., M.I. Arcila
P., J. Espinosa M. & A. González. 1995. Evaluación de
niveles de NPK sobre el crecimiento y la producción
del clon de plátano ‘Dominico hartón’ (Musa AAB
Table 5. Net profit and production costs for plantain during the mother plant crop.
Treatment Variable costs Value Net profit Value
(pesos) ($US) (pesos) ($US)
T10 406 500 122 4 533 924 1360
T9 768 400 231 4 371 680 1312
T8 1 008 900 303 4 292 604 1288
T4 542 000 163 4 088 324 1226
T5 1 174 600 352 4 016 456 1205
T1 903 600 271 3 820 176 1146
T6 814 600 244 3 798 728 1140
T7 994 600 298 3 781 656 1134
T2 543 600 163 3 776 616 1133
T3 723 600 217 3 664 584 1099
Table 6. Yield and value of production during the ratoon crop.
Treatment Production Value Value
(kg/ha) (pesos) ($US*)
T1 16 929 4 232 250 1270
T4 17 329 4 332 250 1300
T5 18 928 4 732 000 1420
T8 19 995 4 998 750 1500
T10 18 528 4 632 000 1390
Table 7. Net profit and production costs of plantain during the ratoon crop.
Treatment Variable costs Net profit Value
(pesos) (pesos) ($US)
T10 369 480 4 262 520 1279
T4 637 080 3 695 170 1109
T8 1 598 460 3 400 290 1020
T5 2 011 330 2 720 670 816
T1 1 743 730 2 488 520 747
Table 8. Marginal analysis of fertilizer treatments during the ratoon crop.
Treatment Net profit Variable costs Marginal Marginal Marginal
(pesos) (pesos) increase in increase in rate of
net profit variable costs return (%)
T10 4 262 520 369 480 567 350 -267 600 212.0
T4 3 695 170 637 080 294 880 -961 380 30.7
T8 3 400 290 1 598 460 679 620 -412 870 164.6
T5 2 720 670 2 011 330 232 150 267 600 86.8
T1 2 488 520 1 743 730
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y desarrollo tecnológico por sistemas de producción
agrícola (M.M. de Duque, R.N. González, Q. Rodríguez,
eds). P.A. Santafé de Bogotá, Colombia. 451pp.
Dorel M. & N. Besson. 1996. Utilization d´engrais
organiques en culture bananière. Fascicules de la
Base Centre Bananes Antilles, CIRAD FLOR, Fort de
France. 27pp.
Echeverry M. & García. 1974. Efecto del potasio en
la corrección del amarillamiento prematuro y la
producción de plátano. Cenicafé 25(4):95-103.
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