DATA COST COMPARISON OF THE TANGERINE CARRETERO ESPALIER SYSTEM AND CONVENTIONAL NADORCORTT MANDARIN CULTIVATION

This document/file provides the database, values, and calculations used to analyze the costs of implementing tutoring systems in citrus plantations, specifically for the "I" and "V" systems under greenhouses, compared to a conventional plantation. The objective of this study is to determine the return on investment time and the increased benefits of the proposed systems compared to traditional plantations. To this end, the document establishes a comparison basis that describes a conventional citrus plantation of the Nadorcott variety, planted on the Troyer rootstock with a 4 m x 5 m planting frame, using weed control and a drip irrigation system. The initial investment, maintenance costs, and harvest yield under this system are calculated. The cost analysis also includes the proposed tutoring system, called Tangerine Carretero Espalier (TCE), implemented in a plantation with a 2 m x 5 m frame under a raspberry and amagado greenhouse. The TCE system is based on trellis-like support structures that guide tree branches over wires and posts. This system has two training configurations: an "I" and a "V," each with specific features to improve light capture, aeration, and facilitate harvesting. The calculations cover both initial costs (soil preparation, plants, planting, and infrastructure) and operating costs throughout the growing cycle, including irrigation, fertilization, phytosanitary treatments, pruning, and harvesting. In addition, the performance of both systems (conventional and TCE) is evaluated, with a detailed analysis of fruit prices and economic thresholds that allow decisions to be made on the viability and profitability of the proposed systems. The set of data, values, and calculations provided in the document supports this economic comparison and is key to analyzing the return on investment time and the potential additional benefits that training systems can bring to citrus production.