Proftability of apple production systems

Abstract

The experiment was conducted in an experimental apple orchard of the Institute of Agriculture – Kyustendil, established in 1996 on an area of 10 da. The study period covered the economic life cycle of the plantation - from its establishment until its productivity decline. Four production systems (conventional, integrated, resource-economical, and biological) were investigated, in which the cultivars Prima, Florina, and Erwin Baur were used, grafted on the vegetative rootstock MM 106. The aim of the present examination was to determine the most profitable cultivation technology of apple production throughout the life cycle of the fruit trees. The highest balance value among the studied technologies was demonstrated in the conventional system, followed in a descending order by those of the integrated (6.31% lower), the resource-economical, and the biological (8.74% vs. 23.57%). From an economic perspective, the conventional technology was determined as the most effective for the experimental period with a rate of profitability of 193%, surpassing the resource-economical (184%), the integrated (175%), and the biological (144%).