Economic Feasibility and Work Performance Analysis of Mechanized Planting and Harvesting Systems for Potato Cultivation in South Korea

This study evaluated the operational performance and economic feasibility of mechanizing potato planting and harvesting operations. Operational performance was assessed using field capacity, missing plant rate, harvest loss rate, and damage rate, while economic feasibility was assessed through total cost per unit area (hourly fixed and variable costs), break-even point, and payback period. Compared with traditional manual operations, field capacity increased approximately 4.3-fold for planting (from 0.023 to 0.098 ha/h) and 6.3-fold for harvesting (0.020–0.126 ha/h). However, the mechanized planting operation had a missing plant rate of 7.3%, indicating a need for improved planting precision. Harvest loss and damage rates were comparable to those of traditional operations. Total cost per unit area decreased by 32% for planting and 76% for harvesting. The break-even point and payback period were 11.45 ha and 8.2 years for planting, and 4.31 ha and 3.1 years for harvesting, reflecting a shorter payback period for harvesting mechanization. The integrated system combining planting and harvesting had a break-even point of 5.44 ha and a payback period of 3.9 years, shorter than that of planting mechanization alone. These results indicate that combined adoption of mechanized planting and harvesting can improve the economic efficiency of mechanization investment for potato-growing farms.