Yields

Yields denote the amount produced or returned by a process. The term appears in agriculture, chemistry, economics, and finance, among others. Its exact meaning depends on context, but it generally expresses efficiency, productivity, or income relative to input or potential output.

In agriculture, yield refers to the quantity of harvest obtained per unit area, commonly expressed as tonnes per hectare or bushels per acre. Crop yield is influenced by weather, soil quality, crop genetics, inputs such as water and fertilizer, and management practices. Yields are used to assess productivity, inform policy, and model food supply.

In chemistry, percent yield describes the efficiency of a chemical reaction. It is the actual amount of product obtained divided by the theoretical maximum amount possible, multiplied by 100. Causes of low yield include side reactions, incomplete reactions, losses during purification, and measurement errors.

In finance, yield refers to the income return on an investment, typically expressed as an annual percentage. Bond yields include current yield and yield to maturity, calculated from price, coupon, and time to maturity. Stock investments use dividend yield, the annual dividends per share divided by the stock price. Yields are sensitive to interest rates, risk, and market expectations.

Other uses include energy yield, the amount of usable energy produced from a resource or system, and production yield in manufacturing, the ratio of good product to total input. In policy and economics, yield data inform resource allocation and risk assessment.