Return Ratio Research Articles

Influence of Organic Nutrients on Growth and Yield of Summer Greengram (Vigna radiata)

Greengram ( Vigna radiata L. ), commonly called as mungbean is an important pulse crop grown mainly in Zaid and Kharif season in India. Organic farming is one of the sustainable farming practices that can overcome the harmful effects of chemical farming and provides quality production. A field experiment was conducted during Zaid, 2023 to study the “Effects of organic nutrients on growth and yield of summer Greengram (Vigna radiata L.)” at SHUATS Model Organic Farm, Department of Agronomy, SHUATS, Prayagraj (U.P). The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with nine treatments replicated thrice. The treatment consisted of 3 different solid manures i.e. Farm Yard Manure, Vermicompost, Goat manure and 3 different liquid manures i.e. Fish Amino Acid, Panchagavya and Seaweed (Kappaphycus alvarezii) sap. The experimental field soil was sandy loam in texture, moderately basic in reaction (pH 7.8), available medium Organic Carbon (0.662 %) low in available nitrogen (249.5 kg/ha), and very high accessible phosphorus (38.7 kg/ha) and available potassium (240.8 kg/ha). The result showed that significantly higher growth parameters viz., plant height (42.09 cm), number of nodules (22.22/plant), dry weight (19.35g/plant) and yield attributes such as effective pod/plant (11.05), seed/pod (9.68), test weight (38.41 g), seed yield (1643.54 kg/ha) and stover yield (3023.55 kg/ha) were observed with application 5 t/ha FYM and foliar spray of 7.5 % K sap (T9). Highest net return (Rs. 100383.30/ha) and benefit cost ratio (1.84) was also recorded in the same treatment. This concludes that application of 5 t/ha FYM along with foliar spray of 7.5 % K sap at 15 and 30 DAS performed better in terms of yield and economic returns.

The prospects of intercropping of brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) with other vegetables on sorjan system in vulnerable southern coastal saline and non-saline areas of Bangladesh

The demand for food in Bangladesh is increasing due to the increasing population. Land is the primary natural resource that affords habitat and sustenance for living beings. In Bangladesh, the coastal areas cover an area of 47,201 km2 or 32 % of the total land under 19 districts of Bangladesh. The coastal southern saline and non-saline areas are vulnerable to water logging conditions and farmers cannot grow any crops except dry season (rabi). However, in some areas, farmers are trying to use their indigenous technologies to combat natural disasters to ensure food security. For example, floating, sorjan or raised bed systems are potential and farmers are practicing in these areas. Among these techniques, the sorjan bed system is one of the potential techniques that is extensively used in southern Bangladesh, particularly water logging conditions to improve food security. To enhance the production and make land cultivation profitable, the experiments were carried out at the farmers’ fields under the sorjan system in consecutive two growing seasons. The sole crop was brinjal (cv. BARI Begun-12), BARI Lalshak-1 (cv. Red amaranth), BARI Dhania-1 (cv. Coriander leaf), Cauliflower (cv. Cold queen), Cabbage (cv. Equatoria) and Knol Khol were utilized as intercropping with brinjal. The treatments were i) Sole brinjal, ii) Brinjal + Red amaranth, iii) Brinjal + Coriander leaf, iv) Brinjal + Cauliflower, v) Brinjal + Cabbage, and vi) Brinjal +. 24-day-old seedlings of the BARI Begun-12 grown in a nursery bed were transferred to the plots where the seeds of Red amaranth and Coriander leaf were directly sown. However, the seedlings of Cauliflower, Cabbage, and Knol Khol were also transplanted to the field after one week of transplanting brinjal. The results exposed that sole crops had the highest results in terms of days to flowering, days to first fruit set, days to first harvesting, leaf area, fruit length, fruit breadth, single fruit weight, fruits plant−1, fruit yield, TSS %, and dry matter %. In both years, brinjal exhibited the highest yield as the sole crop compared to intercropping. 48.12 t/ha and 46.27 t/ha in the first and second cropping seasons, respectively. In the first cropping season, Red amaranth, Coriander leaf, Cauliflower, Cabbage, and Knol Khol performed with a yield of 10.12, 7.23, 23.14, 22.87, and 9.05 t/ha. During the second cropping season, the same crops exhibited a yield of 10.05, 7.01, 23.09, 22.68, and 9.98 t/ha. The highest land equivalent ratio, gross return, net return, and BCR were obtained from brinjal-cauliflower intercropping, which was 1.74, 1049300 BDT, 553820 BDT, and 2.12, respectively, in the 2021–2022 cropping season and 1.78, 1057900 BDT, 562010 BDT, and 2.13, respectively, in the next season in 2022–2023. This intercropping approach resulted in a higher land equivalent ratio, net return, and benefit-cost ratio of 1.76, 557915 BDT, and 2.125, respectively, over the average of two successive cropping seasons.

Effect of Vermicompost and Molybdenum on Growth and Yield of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaeal L.)

The experiment was conducted during the Summer season 2023, at the Crop Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Science, Prayagraj (U.P.) to find out the “Effect of Vermicompost and Molybdenum on growth and yield of Groundnut”. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design comprising of 9 treatments which include 3 Different levels of Vermicompost 0 t/ha, 3 t/ha, 5 t/ha and Molybdenum 0.5 kg/ha, 1 kg/ha, 1.5 kg/ha. Whose effect is observed in Ground nut. The result was observed in the application of 5t/ha Vermicompost + 1.5 kg/ha Mo was recorded maximum plant height (29.80 cm), Nodules (62.10), plant dry weight (30.96 g/plant), number of pods per plant (39.39), Kernels/pod (2.00), seed index (40.00 g), pod yield (2.38 t/ha) and haulm yield (4.26 t/ha) and harvest index (35.74%). At the same time higher gross return (1,61,090.00 INR/ha), net return (100505.80 INR/ha) and benefit cost ratio (1.7) were recorded with application of 5t/ha Vermicompost + 1.5 kg/ha Mo.

Performance of Different Hybrids of Okra under Prayagraj Agro-climatic Conditions

This research evaluates the performance of different hybrids of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) under the agro-climatic conditions of Prayagraj. Okra, originating from sub-tropical Africa, holds economic significance and is cultivated widely across diverse regions. Understanding the performance of okra hybrids is vital for maximizing productivity and ensuring food security. The study assesses growth parameters such as plant height, leaf area, and number of branches, along with yield parameters including fruit characteristics and days to flowering. Quality parameters such as Vitamin C and Total Soluble Solids (TSS) are also considered. Economic aspects such as cost of cultivation, gross return, and cost ratio are analysed. Results reveal significant variations among hybrids, with certain hybrids demonstrating superior performance. Hybrid H7 emerges as promising, exhibiting robust growth and high yield potential. These findings offer valuable insights for optimizing okra cultivation practices and enhancing productivity in the Prayagraj region. Further research is recommended to refine hybrid selection and cultivation techniques for sustainable okra production.

A New Approach to the Economic Evaluation of Thermomodernization: Annual Assessment Based on the Example of Production Space

Energy and economic assessments are of great relevance in the context of decision processes for the most optimal solutions for building renovations. Following the method recommended by UNIDO, economic analyses of thermal modernization options are carried out based on the Simple Payback Time (SPBT), Net Present Value Ratio (NPVR) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) indices. Incorporating these indicators and a new approach that involves aggregating thermomodernization activities not only in the cold and warm seasons separately, but throughout the whole year, an economic evaluation of the thermomodernization of a production space was carried out. In this case study, the renovation options included wall insulation, window replacement, the installation of infrared heater, a two-flow air diffuser (TFAD) and variable air volume. The economic effect indicated by the highest NPVR over a normative period of 15 years was obtained for the installation of an infrared heater and a TFAD with a variable mode ventilation system. The SPBT for this case was also the lowest.

Performance of little millet (Panicum flexuosum) based cropping system for rainfed agro ecosystems: A path to sustainable crop diversification

An experiment was conducted during 2019, 2020 and 2021 at Centre of Excellence in Millets, (Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu), Athiyandal, Tiruvanamalai, Tamil Nadu. to study the performance of little millet (Panicum flexuosum Retz.) based cropping system for rainfed agro ecosystems for north-eastern part of Tamil Nadu. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design (RBD) comprised of 9 treatments, viz. T1, Little millet + Redgram [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] (4:1)-Moth bean [Vigna aconitifolia (Jacq.) Marechal]; T2, Little millet + Redgram (4:1)-Blackgram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper]; T3, Little millet + Redgram (4:1)-Horsegram [Macrotyloma uniflorum (Lam.) Verdc.]; T4, Little millet + Redgram (6:2)-Moth bean; T5, Little millet + Redgram (6:2)-Blackgram; T6, Little millet + Redgram (6:2)-Horsegram; T7, Little millet + Redgram (8:2)- Mothbean; T8, Little millet + Redgram (8:2)-Blackgram; T9, Little millet + Redgram (8:2)- Horsegram, with three replications. The good quality seeds of little millet (CO 4), redgram (Paiyur 2), horsegram (Paiyur 2), blackgram (VBN 3) and mothbean [TMV (Mb) 1] were used. The result shows that the higher yield for little millet and intercropped redgram was recorded in T9 (985 and 362 kg/ha) followed by T7 (853 and 356 kg/ha) and T8 (834 and 337 kg/ ha). The 8:2 row ratio exhibited the highest little millet equivalent yield when compared to 6:2 and 4:1 row ratio. The highest economic return and benefit cost (B:C) ratio was observed in T9 with gross return of ₹60,962/ha, net returns of ₹35,362/ha and B:C ratio (2.38). This was followed by T7 which had gross returns of ₹51,314/ha, net returns of ₹25,989/ha and B:C ratio (2.10).

Effect of Biofertilizers and Zinc Micronutrients on yield and Economics of Maize (Zea mays L.)

The research work was done out during Kharif season of 2023 at the Crop Research Farm, Department of Agronomy, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj U.P( India), to study the effect of biofertilizers and zinc sulphate on growth and yield of Maize. The treatments consist of Bio-fertilizers PSB, Azotobacter,( PSB) + Azotobacter and ZnSO4 (20, 25, 30 kg/ha) done under RBD with ten treatments and replicated three times. The soil of research trial plot was sandy loamy in texture, nearly neutral in soil reaction (pH 7.8), low in organic carbon (0.35%). The outcomes showed that the taller plants (159.03 cm), higher plant dry weight (162.70 g/plant), maximum crop growth rate (26.250 g/m2/day), number of cobs/plant (1.8), higher number of rows/cob (16.8), number of seeds per cob (553.4),were achieved by the application of PSB + Azotobacter + ZnSO4 30 kg/ha. Higher gross return (INR 1,49,119.5/ha), higher net return (INR 1,08,439.5.00/ha) and higher Benefit Cost ratio (2.66) were also obtained by the using of (Azotobacter 25 g/kg + PSB: 25 g/kg + 1% Zn+B 1 %).

Is the COVID-19 Matters for Islamic Banking Performance? A Cross-Countries Analysis

Research Originality: Considering the originality of the study to have a deeper investigation on the impact of the pandemic on bank’s risk and return.Research Objectives: This study aims to identify the impact of Covid-19 on bank performance and risk levels.Research Methods: This study focuses on Islamic banks in 12 countries with the most developed financial sector during the 4th quarter of 2016 to the 1st quarter of 2022. The data analysis method in this study adopts panel data analysis with a fixed effect model.Empirical Results: The finding of the study shows that the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a decline in the performance of Islamic banks, as seen from the ratio of return on average asset, return on equity, net profit margin, return on average asset, and return on average equity. However, an interesting finding from this research is that there is no concern about worsening bank risk levels as reflected in the nonperforming financing, Z-Score, and leverage ratio. Meanwhile, the control variables, bank size and inflation rate, also affect the performance and risk of Islamic banks.Implications: The study implies that banking practitioners and financial authority for the banking sector are required to issue some financial strategies in order to achieve and maintain a certain level of financial performance, especially during financial turmoil. JEL Classification: G20, G21, G28 How to Cite:Nugrohowati, R. N. I., & Fakhrunnas, F. (2024). The COVID-19 Matters for Islamic Banking Performance? A Cross-Countries Analysis. Etikonomi, 23(1), 201 – 218. https://doi.org/10.15408/etk.v23i1.31243.

Assessment of factors affecting the solvency of property-liability insurance companies

Purpose. This study aims to determine the effect of company size, investment return ratio, own-retention ratio and underwriting results on both the solvency ratio based on technical provisions (YTP), and the solvency ratio based on net premiums (YNP) of 12 property-liability (P/L) insurance companies in Algeria during 2018–2021. This study uses the multiple regression analysis with the help of the SPSS program. Results. The results of this study indicate that the underwriting results have a positive and significant effect on YTP of P/L insurance companies in Algeria during 2018–2021, while other variables do not affect YTP. This study also states that the own-retention ratio and underwriting results have a significant positive influence on YNP of P/L insurance companies in Algeria during 2018–2021, however the company size and investment return ratio do not affect YNP of these companies. The developed models explain only 32.4 % of the variation in dependent variable (YTP) and 61.7 % of the variation in dependent variable (YNP), implying that there are still other factors affecting solvency of P/L insurance companies in Algeria. Scientific novelty. The scientific novelty of this research lies on knowing the factors affecting the solvency of insurance companies by focusing on Algeria, especially since the Algerian solvency system is still purely traditional and does not focus on the factors considered in this study. Practical value. The findings will enable insurance companies in Algeria to optimally evaluate their solvency by focusing on the factors that have a significant effect on the solvency of insurance companies, thus ensuring the sustainability of these companies. Furthermore, the results of this study could be assistance to the insurance regulatory authority in Algeria to reconsider the rules of regulating solvency based on the factors that affect insurer’ solvency.

CI-STHPAN: Pre-trained Attention Network for Stock Selection with Channel-Independent Spatio-Temporal Hypergraph

Quantitative stock selection is one of the most challenging FinTech tasks due to the non-stationary dynamics and complex market dependencies. Existing studies rely on channel mixing methods, exacerbating the issue of distribution shift in financial time series. Additionally, complex model structures they build make it difficult to handle very long sequences. Furthermore, most of them are based on predefined stock relationships thus making it difficult to capture the dynamic and highly volatile stock markets. To address the above issues, in this paper, we propose Channel-Independent based Spatio-Temporal Hypergraph Pre-trained Attention Networks (CI-STHPAN), a two-stage framework for stock selection, involving Transformer and HGAT based stock time series self-supervised pre-training and stock-ranking based downstream task fine-tuning. We calculate the similarity of stock time series of different channel in dynamic intervals based on Dynamic Time Warping (DTW), and further construct channel-independent stock dynamic hypergraph based on the similarity. Experiments with NASDAQ and NYSE markets data over five years show that our framework outperforms SOTA approaches in terms of investment return ratio (IRR) and Sharpe ratio (SR). Additionally, we find that even without introducing graph information, self-supervised learning based on the vanilla Transformer Encoder also surpasses SOTA results. Notable improvements are gained on the NYSE market. It is mainly attributed to the improvement of fine-tuning approach on Information Coefficient (IC) and Information Ratio based IC (ICIR), indicating that the fine-tuning method enhances the accuracy and stability of the model prediction.

Can Perturbations Help Reduce Investment Risks? Risk-aware Stock Recommendation via Split Variational Adversarial Training

In the stock market, a successful investment requires a good balance between profits and risks. Based on the learning to rank paradigm, stock recommendation has been widely studied in quantitative finance to recommend stocks with higher return ratios for investors. Despite the efforts to make profits, many existing recommendation approaches still have some limitations in risk control, which may lead to intolerable paper losses in practical stock investing. To effectively reduce risks, we draw inspiration from adversarial learning and propose a novel Split Variational Adversarial Training (SVAT) method for risk-aware stock recommendation. Essentially, SVAT encourages the stock model to be sensitive to adversarial perturbations of risky stock examples and enhances the model’s risk awareness by learning from perturbations. To generate representative adversarial examples as risk indicators, we devise a variational perturbation generator to model diverse risk factors. Particularly, the variational architecture enables our method to provide a rough risk quantification for investors, showing an additional advantage of interpretability. Experiments on several real-world stock market datasets demonstrate the superiority of our SVAT method. By lowering the volatility of the stock-recommendation model, SVAT effectively reduces investment risks and outperforms state-of-the-art baselines by more than 30% in terms of risk-adjusted profits. All the experimental data and source code are available at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14AdM7WENEvIp5x5bV3zV_i4Aev21C9g6?usp=sharing .

Climate Risk Management in Agro-Pastoral Systems of Central and Northern Tanzania: Costs and Benefits of Local Adaptation

In Tanzania, agro-pastoral practices have been adapted to climate change for several years. However, the economic benefits and costs of adaptation techniques for agro-pastoralists have not been well documented. Therefore, this paper analyses the economic benefits and costs of adaptation strategies to climate change and variability. The analysis used primary data collected from 411 agro-pastoral households randomly selected from 22 villages in five districts in northern and central Tanzania. Net present value, benefit-cost ratio and internal rate of return were calculated to determine the benefit-cost analysis of adaptation strategies. The planned adaptation strategies were found to be financially viable compared to business-as-usual practices. Sensitivity analysis also showed that maize-sunflower intercropping was viable, while maize-bean intercropping was more sensitive to a 10% change in yield. In addition, drip irrigation and micro-catchment rainwater harvesting have the potential to contribute to climate risk management in these dryland areas by minimising water use and maximising output per hectare; the main challenge is the high initial capital cost. There is therefore a need for extension agents to continue to promote crop and livestock diversification among agro-pastoralists in managing climate risks to reduce their vulnerability to climate change and variability. In addition, research and development (R&D) practitioners need to promote and capacitate agro-pastoralists in drip irrigation and micro-catchment rainwater harvesting adaptation strategies.

Analisis Kelayakan Investasi pada Proyek Perumahan Sederhana Tipe 31/60 M2

The need for housing is increasing along with the rate of population growth. Simple livable housing is an option for low-income communities in accordance with the regional minimum wage. In making investments to make housing requires a feasibility analysis so that it can assess in accordance with the company's financial capabilities so that the company does not experience losses and make profits after investing large enough funds. This study aims to analyze the feasibility of investing in the MPR 2 Type 31/60 m2 simple housing development project in the Semarang Regency area which is viewed from a financial perspective using the Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Payback Period (PP), and Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) methods. Based on the research that has been done, it can be concluded in terms of the feasibility of investing in the construction of subsidized houses type 31/60 in MPR 2 housing is feasible. This can be seen from the results of the analysis with the positive NPV method of Rp.127,933,335.12 > 1, the results of the analysis with the IRR method of 9.79% > 5% (MARR), the results of the analysis with the PP method, it shows that the period of return on investment occurs for 1 year 4 days, and the results of the analysis with the BCR method of 1.018 > 1.

Energy Use Pattern and Economic Analysis of Fluted Pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) Production in Tillage Methods

The study investigates the energy use pattern and economic analysis of fluted pumpkin production in tillage methods (traditional, reduced-conventional and conventional). Human power, machinery, diesel fuel, fertilizers, seed and pesticides energy inputs were used during the cultivation of fluted pumpkin. Input and output energy analysis method was used to estimate the input and output energy in each of the tillage methods during the production of fluted pumpkin. The energy indices of fluted pumpkin production determined were; energy efficiency, energy productivity, specific energy, net energy and energy efficiency index. The economic analysis of fluted pumpkin production in terms of total cost of production, gross monetary return, net monetary return and cost benefit ratio for the three tillage methods used were determined. The total energy required per hectare in traditional, reduced-conventional and conventional tillage methods were 6899.90, 9206.16 and 10176.84 MJ/ha, while the output energy were found to be 8912.48, 12297.8 and 12297.8 MJ/ha, respectively. The energy efficiency, energy productivity and net energy gain of 3.97, 1.50 and 1.20; 0.76, 0.86 and 0.71 MJ/kg; 1.32, 1.20 and 1.40 MJ/ha, respectively were estimated while energy efficiency index were found to be 27, 47 and 20% for traditional, reduced-conventional and conventional tillage methods, respectively. The highest net monetary return and cost benefit ratio of ₦382,000.00k and 3.05 were estimated for reduced-conventional, ₦351, 600.00 k and 2.31 for conventional tillage, while the least values of ₦220, 000.00 k and 2.11 were recorded for traditional tillage method. The result revealed that reduced-conventional tillage was better than both traditional and conventional tillage methods in terms of energy productivity, net energy gain and energy efficiency index. Economically, production of fluted pumpkin under reduced-conventional tillage shows the highest net monetary return and cost benefit ratio compared to the other two tillage methods considered.

Performance of Turmeric (Curcuma longa L) and Pigeon pea (Cajanus Cajan L.) Intercropping System under North Eastern Ghat Zone of Odisha, India

Performance of Turmeric (Curcuma longa L) and Pigeon pea (Cajanus Cajan L.) Intercropping System under North Eastern Ghat Zone of Odisha, India

Thermo-economic optimization of an artificial cavern compressed air energy storage with CO2 pressure stabilizing unit

In recent years, the attention of engineers has been increasingly attracted to the compressed air energy storage with artificial cavern as it frees the conventional system from the dependence of salt cavern, greatly reducing the limiting factors of project location. However, the current issues are how to enhance the reliability and safety of the artificial cavern due to the cyclical pressure loading and to cut down the cost of cavern construction. The present study overtures an isobaric system for doing this via designing pressure stabilizing unit utilizing the CO2 phase change process. The specific volume of saturated liquid is an order of magnitude lower than that of the saturated gas and this characteristic contributes much to reduce the cavern size. The system thermodynamics and economics are calculated numerically and the findings are discussed to identify whether the additional complexity of isobaric gas storage are worth to do. It is recommended that the air storage pressure, CO2 storage pressure and CO2 liquefaction pressure should be positioned in sequence at 6.5 MPa, 6 MPa and 9 MPa as the optimal design conditions. In this case, the system efficiency is 69.92 %, the levelized cost of storage is 0.1332 $/kWh, the dynamic payback period is 7.26 years and the investment return ratio is 1.58. Compared to the isochoric system with equivalent efficiency, the air storage pressure in proposed system is highly reduced with just 0.65 times of original value. More importantly, the constant pressure in the cavern operation process significantly upgrades its reliability and safety. The size of cavern volume is narrowed with a decline rate of 31.86 % and the system levelized cost of storage scales back with an amplitude of 0.0138 $/kWh. To be matched with, the investment return ratio is increased by 54.9 %.

The impact of financial ratios on financial distress in the transportation sector

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of various financial ratios on the financial instability of companies, with particular emphasis on the profitability ratio of Return on Assets (ROA), liquidity ratio of Current Ratio (CR), activity ratio of Total Assets Turnover (TATO), and solvency ratio of Debt to Assets Ratio (DAR). The study employs secondary data and selective selection to choose a sample of thirteen transport companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) between 2020 and 2022. The study utilised multiple linear regression analysis methods, employing SPSS as the testing programme. The Altman Z-Score method was employed to prioritise the financial distress component. The results indicated that the liquidity ratio, a component of the activity ratio, had a positive impact on financial distress, suggesting that more liquidity might be associated with increased financial hardship. Conversely, the utilisation of leverage was discovered to have an adverse impact on financial distress, indicating that elevated levels of leverage may reduce the likelihood of financial hardship for the selected entities. This study offers useful insights into the intricate relationship between particular financial statistics and the financial distress situation of organisations. It provides a detailed comprehension of how the interplay between liquidity, leverage, and activity dynamics affects the overall financial health of transport companies in the Indonesian stock market.

Response of Mustard (Brassica juncea L.) to Different Bio-Regulators under Varying Fertility Levels

A field experiment on “Response of mustard (Brassica juncea L.) to different bio-regulators under varying fertility levels” was carried out at Agronomy Instructional Farm, Chimanbhai Patel College of Agriculture, S. D. Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar during rabi 2017-18. With regard to the effect of different bio-regulators on mustard, all growth attributes studied during the course of investigation such as dry matter accumulation per plant, number of primary branches and secondary branches per plant showed significant improvement due to application of cycocel (CCC) @ 1500 ppm (B3). Whereas significantly the lowest plant height was exhibited under treatment B3. Similarly, treatments B3 (Cycocel @ 1500 ppm) and B1 (Brassinosteroid @ 0.5 ppm) remained comparable and exhibited significantly higher values of yield components and quality parameters viz., number of seeds per siliqua, number of siliquae per plant, test weight, seed yield per plant, protein content and oil yield. Application of cycocel @ 1500 ppm (B3) also significantly increased N and S content in seed and stover and also resulted in significant improvement in uptake of N, P, S and Zn in seed, stover and total uptake followed by treatment B1 (Brassinosteroid @ 0.5 ppm). However, harvest index, phosphorus and zinc content in seed and stover as well as available nutrients status in the soil (N, P2O5, S and Zn) did not influenced due to application of different bio-regulators. Treatment B3 (Cycocel @ 1500 ppm) realized the highest net return (₹ 64,090/ha) followed by treatment B1 (Brassinosteroid @ 0.5 ppm). The results of the present investigation indicated that all the growth attributes in terms of plant height, number of primary and secondary branches per plant; yield attributes viz., number of seeds per siliqua, number of siliquae per plant, test weight, seed yield per plant, seed, stover yield and quality parameters viz., oil content, oil yield and protein content showed significant improvement due to application of balanced fertilization treatment N4 (N50P50S40Zn1.7), though it was at par with treatment N3 (N50P50S40). Application of N50P50S40Zn1.7 (N4) registered significantly higher N, P2O5, S and Zn content (%) in seed and stover and seed, stover and total uptake by mustard followed by treatment N3 (N50P50S40). Similarly, application of N50P50S40Zn1.7 (N4) noted significantly higher available N (180.38 kg/ha), P2O5(39.68 kg/ha), S (8.49 mg/kg) and Zn (0.46 mg/kg), being at par with treatment N3 (N50P50S40) except available Zn status in soil. From economic point of view, the maximum net return (₹ 64,897/ha) and benefit cost ratio (3.13) were received with application of 50 kg N + 50 kg P2O5+ 40 kg S + 1.7 kg Zn/ha (N4) followed by treatment N3 (N50P50S40).

Economic viability of using OvSynch and fixed timed artificial insemination protocol in breeding improvement of pastoral herds in the rangelands.

Though using Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) can improve oestrus detection, conception and pregnancy success, thus benefit breeding program implementation, empirical evidence of their economic viability is lacking to inform investment decisions in pastoral herds. This study assessed economic viability of using OvSynch and fixed Timed Artificial Insemination (TAI) protocol in Sahiwal upgrading breeding program under two hypothetical cases of best and worst in activity-based money allocations when pastoral herds deploy either optimal or low input husbandry practices. From herd owners' assessment of milk production, best-case scenarios attain on average 10 L/cow/day with optimal husbandry and 5 L/cow/day with low input husbandry. The worst-case scenarios attain 5 L/cow/day with optimal husbandry and 1 L/cow/day with low input husbandry. Benefit- Cost Analysis (BCA) estimated Net Present Value (NPV), Benefit-Cost ratio (BCR) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) to establish economic viability of using OvSynch and TAI Protocol in pastoral breeding programs. Both best-case scenarios retuned positive NPVs (82,028 and 6,912), BCR values (1.68 and 1.08) and IRR (27.46% and 8.08%) while worst-case scenarios returned negative NPVs (-135,855 and -141,025), BCR values of below 1 (0.87 and 0.66) and IRR values below the minimum rate of returns. These economic parameters were sensitive to price changes in inputs and outputs, under both optimal and low input husbandry practices. Results indicate that using OvSynch and TAI Protocol is a profitable and economically viable investment under optimal husbandry practices but not under low input husbandry practices. By implications, use of OvSynch and TAI Protocol in Sahiwal upgrading breeding programs need be accompanied with improved husbandry practices and de-risking pastoral herd owners from price changes in input and output markets.

Impact of Related Lending on Bank Health: Case Study in Indonesia Banking Industry

Related lending is a critical driver of banks’ health, particularly on its profitability and risks profile. As banks engage in related lending activities, they face challenges in managing profitability and assessing various risks, including systemic and credit risks. Nevertheless, the banking literature presents divided views on this: the information view and the looting view. The information view posits that related lending could enhance bank profitability and reduce risks through improved information symmetry between banks and borrowers. Conversely, the looting view theorizes that related lending may deteriorate banks’ performance, reducing profitability and increasing risks, primarily due to the misallocation of resources and the prioritization of personal interests by banks’ insiders. The challenges of related lending have been intensified by the global crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. Empirical research indicate that banks tend to increase lending to related parties by up to 20% during economic difficulties, with more significant effects in emerging economy such as Indonesia. This trend is reflected in increasing related lending ratio and deteriorating financial indicators of publicly listed Indonesian banks, such as declining profitability ratios of return on assets (ROA) and net interest margin (NIM), as well as increasing risk ratios of higher non-performing loans (NPL) during the pandemic’s onset. Therefore, this study will investigate the impact of related lending on bank health of publicly listed Indonesian banks across two critical periods, before crisis (2013-2019) and during the crisis due to the pandemic (2020-2022). By employing a quantitative approach through regression analysis, this study will be able to assess the relationship between bank profitability and risk ratios with their corresponding variables. The aim is to provide empirical evidence on whether related lending enhance or impair bank performance in terms of profitability and risk, particularly under the economic strains brought by the pandemic.