Statistical Analysis Of Labor Cost Of Vegetable Production In Jiangsu Province And Study Of Some Labor Saving Techniques

Currently, labor is the major cost of vegetable production in China. In addition, the employee management level of most vegetable production enterprises is poor. In this study, labor requirement and labor cost of each operation step during major vegetable production of three type of producers, i.e., agriculture enterprises, family farms, and private vegetable growers, in three regions in Jiangsu province, named north, middle and south regions of Jiangsu province, were investigated. The data are useful for labor management dicision-making of vegetable production enterprises. The results are as follows:1. Comparing with other operation steps, "residue cleaning", "soil preparation and bedding", "plant regulation", "auxin treatment of tomato flowers" and "hand pollination" accounted for higher proportion in the whole vegetable culture process. Furthermore, significant differences of the labor requirement of these operation steps were found among three type of producers. The data suggested that these steps are important for employee manager to work to improve work efficiency.2. Watermelon, cauliflower and chive are three vegetables suitable for production by agriculture enterprises, due to their relatively lower labor requirement per 1000kg yield and reasonable market demand and price.3. No significant difference of labor requirement of investigated vegetables was found among three regions in Jiangsu province. However, the labor cost is highest in the south of Jiangsu, second in the north of Jiangsu, and lowest in the middle of Jiangsu, due to the salary difference among three regions.4. Comparing with removing leaves by hand, application of 100mg/L paclobutrazol at 4-leaf stage during the growth of Brassica rapa var. Purpuraria is a more economic method for controlling vegetative growth, which save 34 h of labor use and 305 yuan cost per 667m2.5. Comparing with the forchlorfenuron treatment, watermelon using bee pollination has higher yield and quality. Compare with hand pollination, bee pollination saves labor. The major restrictive factors of applying bee pollination in Jiangsu province are small and low tunnels, lower early yields and insufficient amount 6. of female flowers per 667m2.