Production and economic potential of hay and seed production from alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) in a two-crop cultivation technology

Abstract

The article evaluates the trends of costs and revenues (returns) from the production of hay and alfalfa seed in two variants of phosphorus and potassium fertilization in three years of use. The base for the cost evaluation was the three-year research results of the cultivation of alfalfa sown in the field operational trials of the seed company. The costs and revenues of the production of hay from the first mowing and seed from the second mowing were evaluated for three useful years. Economic analysis was based on the technological and economic parameters used by the Research Institute of Agricultural Technology in Prague. The obtained alfalfa seed yields were statistically evaluated by multifactor analysis of variance (ANOVA) with verification of the plausibility of differences by Tukey's HSD test at the 99% probability level (a=0.01). The Research Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics in Bratislava calculation formula was used to monitor the costs and returns of sown alfalfa. In the productive years as well as the three-year average of hay and seed yields, the cultivation of sown alfalfa was highly profitable. The profit in variant V1 in the years was presented in the amount of 1 488.11 Eur/ha to 1 732.20 Eur/ha, variant V2 1 449.05 Eur/ha to 1 653.55 Eur/ha and in the average of three useful years 1 542.93 Eur/ha. The Return on Costs (ROC) was presented with values of high efficiency of hay and alfalfa seed production, both without the support and with EU support. These supports are the single area payment scheme (SAPS), the redistributive payment and payment for agricultural practices beneficial for the climate and the environment.

Keywords

• alfalfa
• hay and seed harvest
• cultivation technology
• costs
• revenues
• profit