Economic Evaluation of Maize (Zea mays L.) as Influenced by Soil Nutrient Availability and BenefitCost Ratio under the Malwa Region

The present investigation titled “Economic Evaluation of Maize (Zea mays L.) as Influenced by Soil Nutrient Availability and Benefit–Cost Ratio under the Malwa Region”. The present experiment was conducted at Research Farm, under Mandsaur University, Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh). Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh) which is situated at latitude 240 C 4’36.61’’N, longitude 750 4’9.46’’ E and at an altitude of 442.16 meters above the mean sea level. The experiment involved two main plot treatments: B1 for flat bed sowing and B2 for raised bed sowing. There were four sub-plot treatments based on spacing: S1 for broadcasting, S2 for 30×25 cm spacing, S3 for 45×25 cm spacing, and S4 for 60×25 cm spacing. The treatment combinations were as follows: T1 : Flat bed + Broadcasting (B1 S1 ), T2 : Flat bed + 30×25 cm spacing (B1 S2 ), T3 : Flat bed + 45×25 cm spacing (B1 S3 ), T4 : Flat bed + 60×25 cm spacing (B1 S4 ),T5 : Raised bed + Broadcasting (B2 S1 ), T6 : Raised bed + 30×25 cm spacing (B2 S2 ), T7 : Raised bed + 45×25 cm spacing (B2 S3 ) andT8 : Raised bed + 60×25 cm spacing (B2 S4 ). There were eight treatments in total, and the experiment was conducted in 24 plots. The gross plot size 4.0 × 5.0 = 20 m2 and net plot size was 3.5 ×4.5 = 15.75 m2 . The gross plot area was calculated to be 383 m2 . The seed rate used for the experiment was 25 kg per hectare. Results revealed that the raised bed sowing method significantly enhanced the availability of major soil nutrients- nitrogen (278.6 kg/ha), phosphorus (24.2 kg/ha), and potassium (230.5 kg/ha) as compared to the flat bed method. Raised bed sowing with 60×25 cm spacing (T8 ) recorded the maximum availability of nutrients, with 292.5 kg/ha of nitrogen, 26.5 kg/ha of phosphorus, and 242.0 kg/ha of potassium. Flat bed sowing with broadcasting (T1 ), which resulted in 255.3 kg/ha of nitrogen, 20.2 kg/ha of phosphorus, and 210.4 kg/ha of potassium. From an economic standpoint, the treatment Raised bed sowing with 60×25 cm spacing (T8 ) yielded the highest gross return (Rs 91,000/ha), net return (Rs 44,000/ha), and benefit-cost ratio (1.94). Conversely, the Flat bed sowing with broadcasting (T1 ) recorded the lowest gross return (Rs 56,000/ha), net return (Rs 14,000/ ha), and B:C ratio (1.33). These findings clearly demonstrate that raised bed sowing combined with wider spacing (60×25 cm) is a superior agronomic strategy for enhancing both nutrient availability and profitability in maize cultivation under the agro-climatic conditions of the Malwa region.