79 



Rates of return to cash were not influenced by fertilizer levels 

 within each cropping pattern, but among cropping patterns, rates of 

 return to cash were significantly different. Cropping pattern HM-HM-HM 

 had similar rates of return to cash as the LM-LM-M. 



Rates of return to labor were influenced by fertilizer levels 

 within each cropping pattern, but not among cropping patterns. In crop- 

 ping pattern HM-HM-HM, increasing fertilizer level significantly decreased 

 rates of return to labor. In cropping patterns LM-LM-M and HM-LM-i^M, 

 high fertilizer level resulted in higher rate of return to labor thsui 

 medium and low levels. 



Rates of return to management were not affected by fertilizer 

 levels except for cropping pattern HM-HM-HM, where increasing fertilizer 

 levels decreased rates of return to management. 



Based on the results obtained from this study, the following 

 conclusions can be drawn: 



1. Classifying vegetables according to low, medium, and hi^ 

 management groups and growing them in sequential cropping patterns 

 influenced productivity and relative economic returns. 



2. In this study, the sequence of HM vegetable crops increased 

 total soluble salts, soil N and K, but decreased soil pH and OM content. 

 This suggested that additional fertilizer applications might not have 

 been required for succeeding crops in cropping patterns involving HM 

 crops. 



3. Increasing fertilizer application above the recommended levels 

 did not increase marketable yields of vegetable crops in this study. 

 Vegetable crops that belong to any of the management groups did not 

 respond to high levels of applied fertilizer when grown in sequential 



