Economic Impact of Hydrogel Application in Cocoon Production Using Sensor-based Irrigation

A field experiment was carried out to study the economics of cocoon production as influenced by hydrogels under sensor-based irrigation. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with nine treatment combinations and three replications by using two different types of hydrogels viz., Pusa hydrogel (T1- Pusa hydrogel @ 1 kg/ac, T2- Pusa hydrogel @ 2 kg/ac, T3- Pusa hydrogel @ 3 kg/ac and T4- Pusa hydrogel @ 4 kg/ac) and Zeba hydrogel (T5- Zeba hydrogel @ 3 kg/ac, T6- Zeba hydrogel @ 4 kg/ac, T7- Zeba hydrogel @ 5 kg/ac, and T8- Zeba hydrogel @ 6 kg/ac), and T9 was control without hydrogel. Total cost of cultivation was more (Rs. 83,173 ha-1 crop-1) in treatment T4 which received Pusa hydrogel @ 4 kg/ac followed by T3 (Rs. 81,691 ha-1 crop-1). The cost of cultivation was least (Rs. 77,245 ha-1 crop-1) in T9 - control plot. Among the different treatment combinations Zeba hydrogel @ 6 kg ac-1 (T8) treated mulberry leaves fed double hybrid silkworms yielded maximum net returns (Rs. 1,48,812 ha-1 year-1) followed by T7 - Zeba hydrogel @ 5 kg ac-1 (Rs. 1,46,738 ha-1 year-1) and least was recorded in T9- Control plot without hydrogel (Rs. 1,13,681 ha-1 year-1). However, Zeba hydrogel @ 6 kg ac-1 was found to be cost effective with higher B:C ratio (2.88) followed by T7- Zeba hydrogel @ 5 kg/ac (2.86) as compared to control which recorded (2.47).