​Economics Analysis of Tomato Hybrid Seeds Produced through Soilless Systems

Background: The agricultural sector is highly dependent on the availability and quality of seeds for a productive harvest. The global demand for food and water is expected to increase due to population outgrowth, urbanization and climate change. Soilless farming may change the face of agriculture by providing a more sustainable and productive alternative to traditional cultivation and is being largely exploited for vegetable cultivation. Methods: The experiment consisted of 12 treatments. Two parental lines (P1: TAG 1 and P2: TAG 2) were subjected to seed treatment (S1: Untreated and S2: Thiram @ 2g kg-1 and chlorpyrifos @ 3g kg-1) and twenty-eight days old seedlings were transplanted to soil (M1: Conventional) and soilless systems (M2: Hydroponics and M3: Aeroponics). Hybrid seeds were produced in all the system were analysed for the quality and economics of seed production in soilless system was worked out. Result: The results revealed that there was a significant increase in test weight (0.39 g), average seed length (0.52 cm) in the soilless system due to the continuous availability of nutrients at controlled condition. Although the cost incurred was comparatively higher in the soilless method, the gross return was 94.68 per cent higher under aeroponics and 79.22 per cent higher under hydroponics compared to the conventional method. The benefit to cost ratio was found higher in aeroponics (2.08) followed by hydroponics (1.97) and lower under the conventional method (1.87). It is inferred that soilless agriculture could be a promising tool for quality and healthy hybrid tomato seed production throughout the year within protected cultivation.