Economic productivity and profitability analysis for whiteflies and tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) management options

Abstract

Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), transmitted by whiteflies, is a major threat to tomato production worldwide (Moriones and Navas-Castillo, 2000; Lefeuvre et al., 2010). Yield losses up to 100% in affected fields are common (Rakib et al., 2011; Pan et al., 2012; Wu et al., 2012). This study investigates the economic productivity and profitability of treatment for TYLCV management. The economic models adopted for this study include farm enterprise budgeting, sensitivity analysis, and break-even analysis. Results show that total preharvest variable cost was $4,200/acre and the expected net return of $1,958/acre was attainable 50% of the time.