Economics of chia (Salvia hispanica) cultivation as influenced by foliar application of different elicitors

Abstract

Chia is an important super food crop with lot of medicinal value getting more popularity in recent days because of heart healthy omega-3 fatty acid content. The cultivation of chia in India was started by few farmers near Mysuru which is a finger millet growing area and now the cultivation has spread to other parts of the state and also neighboring states due to high returns than the traditional crops. For production of residue free quality chia seeds, elicitation is one promising strategy which also saves the cost of chemicals by strengthening the defense system in plants. The present investigation on economics of chia cultivation revealed that the highest gross returns (Rs. 2,06,301 and Rs. 2,00,541), net returns (Rs. 1,58,588 and Rs. 1,53,064) and B: C ratio (4.32 and 4.22) was obtained from plants sprayed with foliar spray of chitosan at 200 ppm and potassium silicate at 100 ppm in black while chia respectively.