Efficiency of growing thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) from seedlings under irrigation

Abstract

The influence of planting density of thyme plants on its productivity under drip irrigation has been studied. Economic calculations of seedling cultivation efficiency have been performed. It was found that in the first year of thyme vegetation due to low yields and high costs for the plantation, the profitability of production is close to zero and only in the version with a density of 111 thousand plants/ha it is 11,6%. In the second year, the cost of growing thyme is lower compared to the first year of the growing season, the yield of dry raw materials is higher, as a result, economic indicators are much higher, the profitability of production is from 42,0 to 158,3%. It was found that from the economic point of view, the most effective is the cultivation of thyme with a density of 111 thousand plants / ha, both in the first and second years of the growing season. Analyzing the structure of costs for cultivation and primary processing, the factors that most significantly affect the cost of raw materials are identified. The most costly item in the cost structure is wages. In the first year of cultivation it accounted for 35,6–47,4% of total costs, in the second year the share was 53,3–53,4%. This article is quite significant due to the involvement of manual labor for the care of crops. The high efficiency of seedling cultivation of thyme under the conditions of drip irrigation has been proved.