Improving Fruit Production and Recording Profitability Assessments in Kiwifruit cv. Allison Using Different Horticultural Techniques and Growth Regulators

Abstract

The present investigation was conducted at the Division of Fruit Science, Faculty of Horticulture, SKUAST-K, Shalimar, Jammu and Kashmir, to evaluate the economic feasibility of selected horticultural practices and plant growth regulators in kiwifruit cv. Allison. Fifteen treatments, including girdling, summer pruning, fruit thinning, CPPU, homobrassinolide, benzyl adenine, GA₃ and their combinations, were evaluated in a randomised complete block design with three replications. The economic analysis considered basic annual cost, treatment cost, total cost, gross return, net return and benefit-cost ratio per hectare. The treatments differed in profitability mainly through their influence on the proportion of A-, B- and C-grade fruits and the associated market returns. Among all treatments, CPPU @ 5 ppm + homobrassinolide @ 0.15 ppm recorded the highest gross return (₹2,885,770.24 ha⁻¹), net return (₹2,768,415.844 ha⁻¹) and benefit-cost ratio (23.59). This treatment also produced the highest A-grade yield percentage (70.11%) and provided a 1.80-fold increase in net return over the control. HBL @ 1 ppm and CPPU @ 10 ppm also generated comparatively high returns, but their benefit-cost ratios were lower than that of CPPU @ 5 ppm + HBL @ 0.15 ppm. The findings indicate that this combined PGR treatment was the most economically viable option for improving profitability in kiwifruit cv. Allison under the tested temperate conditions.