Energy Efficiency and Economic Viability of Mechanized and Conventional Cotton Production Systems under Rainfed Vertisols of Tamil Nadu

Energy efficiency is crucial for optimizing energy use, conserving resources, and assessing the input efficiency of agronomic practices. Cotton is known for its economic importance, thus many mechanized cultivation practices have been introduced. This study aimed to evaluate energy consumption and perform an economic analysis of mechanized and conventional cotton production under rainfed conditions in Tamil Nadu. The energy requirements for mechanized and conventional cotton cultivation were 17,001.1 and 15,456.0 MJ ha-1, respectively, with fertilizer application as the most energy consuming component of cotton cultivation in both the methods. Manual cotton cultivation proved to be labor-intensive, requiring 2,215.6 MJ ha-1 of labor energy, compared to just 174.2 MJ ha-1 in mechanized cultivation. Mechanization reduced labor needs by utilizing machinery such as power tillers for weeding and spindle-type cotton pickers for harvesting. In mechanized and conventional cotton cultivation, the contribution of direct, indirect, renewable, and non-renewable energy was 26.7%, 73.3%, 1.0%, 99.0%, and 24.4%, 75.6%, 14.3%, 85.7%, respectively. While the energy ratio, net energy gain, and energy productivity were higher in conventional methods, and mechanized cultivation had a higher specific energy. The total production cost for mechanized cultivation was Rs. 74,290 ha-1, which is 47.8% lower than conventional cultivation (Rs. 140,440 ha-1). Adopting mechanized practices could save Rs. 93,250 ha-1 in labor costs compared to conventional methods. Although the gross income from the Suraksha variety was 10.7% higher with conventional methods, the net income and benefit-cost ratio were greater with mechanized cultivation due to its lower total production costs. The study suggests that efforts to enhance cotton production's energy efficiency should focus on efficient fertilizer use, labor management, and reducing diesel fuel consumption by improving machinery performance.