Vegetos

Abstract

French bean is an important legume vegetable grown during rabi season. It is more profitable to the farmers in the red laterite belt of West bengal and rain fed parts of North east-ern India. This study aims to analyses the energy requirement and energy input-output relation-ship with cultivation of French bean under mulching condition. Results revealed that appli-cation of highest quantities of mulches i.e., (Paddy straw, Rice husk and Saw dust mulches @10 t/ha, respectively) consumed high energy and energy intensiveness followed by medium (7.5 t/ha) and lower quantity (5t/ha) mulches. However, treatment of paddy straw mulch@10 t/ha (T₃) resulted higher energy output (94000MJ/ha) followed by T₆ and T₉. Among the inputs needed in the experiment mulches (53.71–69.88%) consumed bulk of the energy in all treatments except T1₀, followed by other inputs like, manures and chemical fertilizers (19.31–64.12%), and irrigation (9.49–31.52%). Paddy straw mulch @10t/ha produced high economic (94000 MJ/ha) and byproduct energy (1544046MJ/ha) output with high benefit-cost ratio(2.18). No mulch (T1₀) resulted the highest net energy (119425.4 MJ/ha) and Energy produc-tivity (1.65). Energy consumption in the form of indirect (47.67–49.30%) and renewable (36.15–45.84%) energy was higher than direct and re-newable energy. Considering these, if farmer wish to invest low energy input by using low in-direct, renewable energy to obtain high energy use efficiency no mulch treatment is the best. But to obtain high, economic and byproduct en-ergy output and benefit cost ratio observed in paddy straw mulch @10 t/ha is best suitable.