Impact assessment of frontline demonstrations on green gram: Experience from rainfed condition of Rajasthan

Abstract

Pulses being rich in quality protein, minerals and vitamins are inseparable ingredients of diet of majority of Indian population. Despite high nutritive value of pulses and their role in sustainable agriculture desired growth rate in production could not be witnessed. The domestic production of pulses is consistently below the targets and actual domestic requirements are also higher, due to this pulses are being imported. The Krishi Vigyan Kendra Pali has carried out frontline demonstrations on greengram covering an area of 26.5 ha of farmers' field to exhibit latest production technologies and compared it with farmer's practice. The study in total 40 frontline demonstrations were conducted on farmers' fields in villages viz., Kishanagar, Bedkallan, Boyal, Kushalpura and Balara of Pali district of Rajasthan state during 2014, 2015 and 2016, to demonstrate production potential and economic benefit of improved technologies comprising sowing method, nutrient management and chemical weed control and adoption of whole package of practices for the crop. After sowing of seed application of weedicide Pendimethalin(within two days after sowing) at 1.0 kg/ha in 500 liters of water used for effective control of the weeds during kharif season in rainfed condition. The findings of the study revealed that the demonstrated technology recorded a mean yield of 982 kg/ha which was 35.5% higher than obtained with farmers' practice (755 kg/ha). Higher mean net income of Rs. 46030/ha with a Benefit: Cost ratio of 4.3 was obtained with improved technologies in comparison to farmers' practices (Rs. 38775/ha). The frontline demonstrations conducted on greengram at the farmers' field revealed that the adoption of improved technologies significantly increased the yield as well as yield attributing traits of crop and also the net returns higher than the farmers' practices. So, there is a need to disseminate the improved technologies among the farmers with effective extension methods like training and demonstrations. The farmers' should be encouraged to adopt the recommended package of practices realizing for higher returns.

Conception of Improved Blackgram (Vigna mungo L.) Production Technology and its Propagation among Farmers for the Development of a Sustainable Seeds Production Strategy

“…The increased grain yield with improved technologies was mainly due to line sowing, seed treatment with biocontrol agents and biofertilizer, use of foliar nutrients, proper irrigation scheduling, use of the optimum dose of NPK, and timely weed management. Other authors have also found similar results of higher seed yields in demonstration plots than of the existing practices in different crops [34][35][36][37][38][39].…”