The present study is the analysis of large scale data (31949 ha area and 79873 farmers) generated through the CFLD on pulses across the major pulses growing states under the ICAR-ATARIs of Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Pune (Maharashtra), Patna (Bihar), Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh), Kolkata (West Bengal), Guwahati (Assam), Shillong (Meghalaya), Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), Bengaluru (Karnataka) and Patna (Bihar). The pulse crops included in this analysis were from all three growing seasons: kharif (pigeonpea-5556 ha, blackgram-6067 ha, and greengram-2689 ha), rabi (chickpea-8376 ha, lentil-3747 ha and field pea-1890 ha), and summer (greengram-3624 ha). The average performance data of CFLD were obtained for the above states for all the crops representing all three growing seasons during the cropping seasons of 2016–17 and 2017–18. Thus, CFLD data were analyzed fromacross minimum of 21 states (greengram) and maximum of 24 states (blackgram). The major variables analyzed were average yield obtained from the check plots and demonstrations plots. These yields were computed for yield advantages and also compared with the reported district level, state level, national level yields and the potential yields of the respective crops in the given states (data procured from secondary sources for the year 2017–18). Accordingly, the yield advantages (absolute as well as per cent) at various level were analyzed and their degree of variation was computed for all the crops across the seasons. The paper brings out the results of above analyses in objective manner.

There is an urgent need for identification of eco-friendly and cleaner production systems that are more productive, profitable, efficiently use energy/water/carbon input and are environmentally safer. Under that context, a long-term experiment was conducted during 2019–21 at the farmers’ fields of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Gaya, Bihar. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the productivity of diverse cropping systems for irrigated and rainfed conditions. Nine cropping system, viz. transplanted puddled rice (TPR)–wheat (conventional-till)-fallow (farmers practices) [CS1],TPR-wheat(zero-till)-mung (ZT) [CS2], Conventional-till direct seeded rice (CTDSR)-mustard (ZT)-mung (ZT) [CS3], ZTDSR-lentil (ZT)-fallow [CS4], Maize (CT)-lentil (ZT)-mung (ZT) [CS5], Bajra (CT)- lentil (ZT)-mung (ZT) [CS6], Bajra (CT)-wheat (ZT)-mung (ZT) [CS7], TPR-chickpea (ZT)-fallow [CS8] and TPR-maize (CT)-fallow [CS9] were used for the present study. Maximum system productivity was recorded with maize (CT)-lentil (ZT)-mung (ZT) (13.2 t/ha), which was 46, 3.9, 13.8, 94.7, 22.2, 15.8, 39.5, 11.9% higher compared to CS1, CS2, CS3, CS4, CS6, CS7, CS8 and CS9, respectively. Net returns (`211677/ha) and Benefit cost (B:C) ratio (3.59) were recorded maximum with maize (CT)-lentil (ZT)-mung (ZT). Land use efficiency was the maximum with TPR-wheat (ZT)-mung (ZT) (92.6%). Carbohydrate equivalent yield was also maximum with TPR-wheat (ZT)-mung (ZT). Diversification of rice-wheat system with millets i.e. Bajra (CT)-lentil (ZT)-mung (ZT)/Bajra (CT)-wheat (ZT)- mung (ZT) improves the system productivity by 19.5–26.1% compared to TPR-wheat (CT)-fallow. Thus, the present study could be important to identify an alternate cropping systems for enhancing the overall system productivity and profitability sustainably through adoption of environment-friendly technologies.