Table 5.
Added returns incurred by biostimulant applications under greenhouse conditions compared to untreated control.
| Biostimulant | Added Gross Returns (€ ha−1) | Added Variable Costs (€ ha−1) | Added Net Returns (€ ha−1) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biostimulant treatment | Foliar spraying | Machine harvest | Total | |||
| Protein Hydrolysates (PH) | 11354.4 | 676.0 | 390 | 343.3 | 1409.3 | 9945.1 |
| Tropical Plant Extract (PE) | 9905.8 | 806.0 | 390 | 301.7 | 1497.7 | 8408.1 |
| PH + PE | 11276.6 | 741.0 | 390 | 333.4 | 1464.4 | 9812.2 |
The rocket selling (shipping point) prices of 1800 and 1300 € t−1 were used in calculating the gross returns of biostimulant-treated rocket production in first and second/third harvest, respectively; costs of biostimulants were provided by suppliers (PE: Auxym® = 62.0 €/L−1; PH: Trainer® = 13 €/L−1); costs of foliar spraying were calculated based on the information provided by local agricultural contractors; costs of machine harvest were calculated considering a machine with a harvesting capacity of 2 t h−1, a tractor with cart and six workers (two on top of the harvesting machine, one tractor driver and three in the cart for leaf box handling).