%0 Journal Article
%T Cost Analysis of Biopesticides and Chemical Insecticides: Implications for Cotton Farmers in South Africa
%A Lawrence Malinga
%A Mark Laing
%J Entomology and Applied Science Letters
%@ 2349-2864
%D 2023
%V 10
%N 4
%R 10.51847/YA2wqC4r3i
%P 44-55
%X Cotton (Gossypium spp) remains a significant source of income in Africa. However, production is limited by high input costs that reduce profit margins. This study aimed to conduct cost analysis on field trials that were conducted to evaluate the effect of chemical insecticides, Chlorpyrifos® 480 EC, Karate® EC, and Bandit® 350 SC compared with biopesticides, Eco-Bb®, Bolldex®, Delfin®, NOMU-PROTEC® and Bb endophyte on the control of cotton insect pests. Delfin® (US$602) was the most expensive pesticide, followed by Bolldex® (US$495.74), while the cheapest pesticide was Chlorpyrifos® (US$28). Other input costs were US$1 396.50 per hectare, with the highest labor cost of US$544. The minimal cost of production from the bollworm trial was recorded from the application of Karate® (US$1 455), while Delfin® (US$1 999) was the highest. Maximum average seed cotton yield was recorded with Bolldex® (6 402 kg ha-1); however, the maximum net profit of up to US$1 445.26 per hectare was registered with Karate® with the highest cost-benefit ratio of 1.8. The average highest seed cotton yield was obtained with Bandit® (6 394 kg ha-1) followed by Bb endophyte (6 297 kg ha-1) in the leafhopper trial. Bandit® and Karate® had the highest net profits of US$ 1,712 and US$ 1,253, respectively. The Bandit® treatment had the highest cost-benefit ratio of 2. Generally, biopesticide application was found to be more expensive than chemical insecticides; however, they were all profitable.
%U https://easletters.com/article/cost-analysis-of-biopesticides-and-chemical-insecticides-implications-for-cotton-farmers-in-south-a-hxwy5gvcr0g8922