A field experiment on two planting methods (direct seeding and transplanting) in finger millet was conducted using two cultivars; Samtenling Memja 1 (SM1) and IE4425 at the Agriculture Research and Development Centre (ARDC), Samtenling from July to December 2020. The study aimed to determine the best planting method that gave better yield and economic advantage in crop production. The results of the experiment showed that the transplanted finger millet recorded the highest yield (0.81 Mt ha-1) compared to directed seeded (0.65 Mt ha-1) but statistically not significant. There was a percent yield difference of 19.7 % between the two methods. Similarly, there was no significant effect between planting methods and yield components such as plant height, productive tillers, and finger numbers; but there were varietal significant effects on plant height and length of the fingers (P=0.00). However, a significantly shorter maturity duration was observed in direct-seeded millet (120 days) as compared to transplanted millet (126.5 days). Moreover, economic analysis indicates that net returns for direct seeding were considerably greater (>25%) than that of the transplanting method. Based on the study, direct-seeded finger millet could be promoted in farmers' fields considering the economic advantage and early maturity.

The survey was conducted in 2019 to generate baseline information for rice yield and varietal diversity, involving 54 experienced rice farmers of Singye Gewog (block) under Sarpang Dzongkhag (district) in Southern Bhutan. A total of 9 varieties were found under cultivation, of which 2 and 7 were assessed to be improved varieties and landraces respectively. The mean yield of improved varieties was 1253.2 kg acre-1, whereas landraces yielded 777.1 kg acre-1 (P=.006). The chronological varietal diversity revealed that 47.05% of farmer-named varieties were either lost or replaced over 20 years. However, landrace such as Choti Mahsino was popular, covering 24.6% of the rice cultivated area. Further, taste, yield stability, and utility for festivals were the main reasons for perpetuating landraces’ cultivation. The study showed the positive impact of improved varieties on productivity while it has narrowed varietal diversity. On the flip side, the current research found that only one improved variety was adopted which shows a need to promote improved varieties, while the improvement of landraces should also be given priority.

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