Technical and Economic Evaluation of Triticale Cultivation Methods as a Second Crop in paddy fields of Guilan Province

Introduction
Guilan Province is a cornerstone of Iran's rice production, benefitting from a unique and favorable climate. However, rising population pressures and limited resources necessitate optimized land use strategies. Cultivating a second crop following rice harvest presents a critical opportunity to enhance productivity, boost farmer incomes, and promote ecological sustainability. Despite this potential, a sharp and concerning decline in the cultivation area of forage crops—both nationally and within Guilan specifically—underscores the urgency of addressing this issue. Triticale emerges as a promising second crop candidate due to its high yield potential and excellent nutritional value, with prior studies confirming its profitability compared to other cereals. While research on forage crop profitability exists, the development of second cropping in Guilan faces distinct challenges, including mechanization barriers and high production costs. Consequently, this study was designed to conduct a comprehensive technical and economic evaluation of different triticale planting methods as a second crop in Guilan's paddy fields, aiming to identify the most optimal cultivation practice.
 
Materials and Methods
This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of different planting methods for triticale cultivated as a second crop in the paddy fields of Guilan Province, Iran.The two-year field experiment (2020-2022) was conducted at the Rice Research Institute's experimental station (37°10'N, 49°39'E). Five planting techniques were compared in a completely randomized design: (P1) mechanical broadcasting with a fertilizer spreader followed by furrower incorporation; (P2) mechanical broadcasting with a spreader followed by disc incorporation; (P3) manual broadcasting followed by furrower incorporation; (P4) manual broadcasting followed by disc incorporation; and (P5) fully manual seeding. The evaluation encompassed both technical parameters (e.g., forward speed, theoretical and effective field capacity) and economic indices (including net profit, benefit-cost ratio, and return on investment). All collected data were statistically analyzed using SPSS and Excel software.
 
Results and Discussion
This study evaluated various methods for cultivating triticale, assessing their operational efficiency, impact on yield, and economic profitability. The analysis revealed a profound advantage of mechanization over manual labor. Mechanized techniques, especially those using broad-application spreaders, were exceptionally efficient, achieving a field capacity of 1.0 hectare per hour. In stark contrast, manual seeding was drastically slower, requiring 238.46 man-hours per hectare, creating a significant bottleneck that prolonged entire operations. A rigorous statistical analysis confirmed that the cultivation method had a highly significant impact on yield. The method involving a rotavator combined with manual seeding consistently delivered the highest yields for both fresh and dry forage. However, this high-yielding method proved to be the least economical. It incurred the highest production cost, resulting in a loss-making benefit-cost ratio for both fresh and dry forage, making it an unsustainable choice.his economic assessment evaluated various triticale cultivation methods in Guilan Province, considering both fresh and dry forage yields. For fresh forage, Method P5 (manual seeding) incurred the highest production cost at 254,405,000 Rials/hectare, while Method P2 (spreader sowing + disc incorporation) demonstrated the lowest cost per kilogram, amounting to 3,180.9 Rials/kg. Method P2 emerged as the most profitable, yielding a net profit of 25,275,430 Rials/hectare with a favorable benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 1.38. It was followed by Methods P1 (15,876,070 Rials/hectare, BCR 1.24) and P3 (2,498,310 Rials/hectare, BCR 1.03). Method P2 showed strong financial performance with a sales return rate of 27.71% and a return on investment of 38.33%. Conversely, Methods P5 (BCR 0.47) and P4 (BCR 0.88) were identified as uneconomical due to their BCRs falling below one. In the scenario for dry forage, Method P5 (manual seeding) again presented the highest final production cost at 26,850 Rials/kg, whereas Method P2 (spreader sowing + disc incorporation) was the most cost-efficient at 7,447 Rials/kg. Method P2 significantly outperformed other treatments in profitability, achieving a net profit of 111,153,750 Rials/hectare and a robust BCR of 2.69. Methods P1 (95,795,750 Rials/hectare, BCR 2.46) and P3 (58,447,750 Rials/hectare, BCR 1.81) secured the second and third ranks, respectively. For Method P2, the sales return rate was notably high at 62.76%, with a corresponding return on investment of 168.55%. Method P5 proved uneconomical for dry forage production as well, with a BCR of 0.74. In conclusion, the economic analysis strongly supports Method P2 (spreader sowing + disc seed incorporation) as the optimal and most profitable approach for triticale cultivation in Guilan Province, irrespective of whether the goal is fresh or dry forage. Its superior profitability and excellent investment returns, contrasted with the uneconomical nature of Methods P4 and P5 (particularly for fresh forage, and P5 for dry forage), clearly highlight its advantage.
 
Conclusion
According to the findings, from a technical standpoint, the sowing method using a fertilizer spreader followed by seed incorporation with a disc (P2) proved to be the most time-efficient, requiring 15.6 hours per hectare. This method, along with treatment P1 (16.6 hours/hectare), demonstrated a significant advantage in operational speed and efficiency compared to manual broadcasting and seeding methods (P3: 17.3 hours/hectare, P4: 17.17 hours/hectare, and P5: 238.46 hours/hectare).Economically, for fresh forage harvest, method P2 yielded the best results, with a net profit of 25,275,430 Rials per hectare and a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 1.38. In contrast, methods P4 (BCR 0.88) and P5 (BCR 0.47) were found to be uneconomical. Similarly, for dry forage harvest, method P2 again led with a net profit of 111,153,750 Rials per hectare and a BCR of 2.69, while P5 (BCR 0.74) lacked economic justification.Therefore, considering operational speed, efficiency, high profitability, and a favorable return on investment for both fresh and dry forage yields, the sowing method using a fertilizer spreader combined with disc seed incorporation (P2) is recommended as the optimal approach for triticale cultivation in Guilan Province.