The improved package and practices is more important with technological intervention for productivity and profitability of pulses. Detailed package and practices with technological intervention for recommended practice is enclosed (Table 1). Improved variety recorded 1.13 q ha
-1 increase in yield compared to existing farmers’ traditional variety.
The result indicates that the frontline demonstration has given a good impact over the farming community as they were motivated for adoption of new agricultural technology applied in the FLD plots.
The results of the demonstrations revealed that 23.14 per cent yield increase was observed in the demonstrations plots as compared to existing farmers’ practices of black gram due to adoption of improved variety and recommended improved practices. The above findings are similar to the findings of
Patel et al., (2013).
With technology intervention, the enhanced package and practices are increasingly crucial for the profitability and productivity of pulses. Comprehensive package with recommended techniques for technical intervention is enclosed (Table 1). The yield of the improved variety was 1.13 q ha
-1 higher than that of the traditional variety used by the farmers.
The outcome shows that the farming community was positively impacted by the frontline demonstration, as they were inspired to embrace innovative agricultural technologies used in the FLD plots.
The demonstrations outcomes showed that the adoption of an improved variety and suggested improved techniques resulted in a 23.14 per cent yield increase in the demonstration plots when compared to the farming practices of black gram of the farmers at the time. The results mentioned above align with those of
Kantwa et al., (2022).
Gaps between farmer’s practice and demonstration package
The differences were observed between demonstrated practices and farmer’s practices are recommended varieties, seed treatment, sowing method, weed management, fertilizer dose, method of fertilizer application and plant protection measures. The difference between demonstrated practice and farmers practices is given in Table 1. Use of improved variety, seed treatment, line sowing, use of recommended dose of fertilizers were used as technological interventions.
The traditional variety used by the farmers was found susceptible to yellow vein mosaic disease. Under farmer’s practice, they generally sow seed of blackgram at higher seed rate without treating the seeds.
The farmers under CFLD programme were provided with the seed of VBN11 black gram variety. The variety VBN 11 resistant to Mungbean Yellow Mosaic Virus (MYMV) disease and moderate resistance to powdery mildew disease.
Performance of yield
The average yield of demonstration plots was higher as compared to farmers practice due to high yielding variety and following of recommended package of practices. Improved variety recorded 1.13 q ha
-1 increase in yield.
The data showed that the seed yield of black gram variety VBN 11 was higher than the traditional variety (Table 2). It was observed that the seed yield was higher as compared to farmers’ practice. The increase in the yield over traditional variety was 23.14 per cent. The yield enhancement under the demonstration was due to the use of improved and disease resistant variety, balanced use of nutrients, efficient weed management and pest management practices. These findings are in line with those of
Singh et al., (2018), Neelam kumara et al., (2019) and
Sanjay Kumar et al., (2022). Yield of front line demonstration trials and potential yield of the crop was compared to estimate the yield gaps which were further categorized in to technology and extension gaps. To estimate the technology index, extension gap, technology gap, the formulae were considered as suggested by
Kadian et al., (1997).
Extension gap
Extension gap means the difference between the demonstration yield and farmer’s yield. The extension gap between demonstration practices and farmers practices recorded was 1.3 q ha
-1. The extension gap should be assigned to adoption of improved transfer of technology in demonstration practices resulted in higher seed yield than traditional farm practices. This emphasized the need to educate the farmers through various means for more adoption of improved high yielding varieties and newly improved production technologies to bridge the wider extension gap. More use of new high yielding recommended varieties by the farmers will subsequently change this alarming trend of galloping extension gap.
Technology gap
The technology gap means the difference between the potential yield and yield of demonstration plot. The technology gap was 4.4 q ha
-1. The observed technology gap due to dissimilarity in the soil fertility status and weather conditions. These findings corroborate with the findings of and
Dayanand et al., (2014) and
Bhargav et al., (2017).
Technology index
The technology index shows the feasibility of the evolved technology at the farmer’s fields and the lower the value of technology index more is the feasibility of the technology
(Jeengar et al., 2006; Ojha and Bisht, 2020;
Singha et al., 2020 and
Singh et al., 2020). The technology index was found 49.49. The technology index showed the viability of agricultural technology in micro-farming circumstances
(Kumari et al., 2007). The technology index range records from 0.As the technology index decreases, the feasibility of generated farm technology under farmers’ fields increases and
vice versa. The technology index of 5.0%, 0.0%, 2.5% and 4.5%, respectively were observed in
kharif 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 in rice by
Shankar et al., (2022). The technology index from 55 to 77 per cent indicated that the demonstrated technologies were feasible in improve the yield of the vegetables (
Sanjeev Ahuja et al., 2020). Kumar et al., (2019) discovered the technology index may reach 70.85 per cent. The existence of strong gap in technology generated by the research institutes and technology dissemination to the farmers can only be overcome by CFLD programme which can accelerate the level of adoption of improved technologies and help in attaining the self sufficiency in pulse production and getting more income of farmers.
Sanjay kumar et al., (2020).
Economics
The economics of black gram production under front line demonstrations is presented in Table 3. The input and output prices of commodities prevailed during the study were taken for calculating cost of cultivation, gross return, net return and benefit cost ratio. The gross return from the black gram cultivation was Rs. 27384 ha
-1. Under the farmer’s practice, the gross return obtained was Rs. 20484 ha
-1. The net return from the black gram cultivation in the demonstration was Rs.17,234 ha
-1. However, under the farmer’s practice, the net return obtained was Rs. 11,128/ha. Rs. 11,128 ha
-1. The benefit cost ratio of demonstration plot was 2.69 found to be more than the farmers practice of 2.12. It may be due to the higher yield obtained under demonstration practices compared to farmer’s practices. The results were in agreement with the findings of
Patel and Patel, 2020;
Kumar et al., (2021); Balai et al., (2012) and
Kabita Mishra et al., (2018).
