Journal of Experimental Agriculture International

The study was conducted to promote summer greengram production technologies from 2018-19 to 2020-21 in farmer’s fields across the agro-climatic regions of Bihar through Cluster Frontline Demonstrations (CFLDs). A total of 4,075 demonstrations were conducted on an area of 1,548 ha using scientific production technologies to evaluate the performance of improved greengram varieties on productivity and profitability. Greengram is a vital pulse crop in Bihar, cultivated on over 156,772 ha with an average productivity of 6.95 q/ha, lower than the state average of 9.25 q/ha and the national average of 9.7 q/ha. The unavailability of improved varieties and non-adoption of scientific cultivation practices are among the reasons for this low productivity. Improved varieties such as IPM 02-03, HUM-16, PDM-139, Pusa Vishal, Samrat, IPM-2-14, IPM 205-07, and SML 668 were evaluated alongside practices such as line sowing, seed treatment with fungicides and insecticides, Integrated Nutrient Management (INM), Integrated Crop Management (ICM), Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and seed inoculation with Rhizobium culture and phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria (PSB).

The yield of greengram under CFLD ranged from 8.5 to 8.9 q/ha, while the extension gap and technological index ranged between 2.0 to 3.2 q/ha and 34.07 to 37.03%, respectively. The technology gap highlighted the encouraging cooperation of farmers in adopting the demonstrated practices, leading to improved results in subsequent years. The maximum gross return (INR 51,949/ha) and net return (INR 32,088/ha) were achieved during the observation years. The benefit-cost ratio ranged from 2.5 to 2.7 under demonstration, indicating that improved varieties and scientific practices significantly enhanced productivity and profitability. These results emphasize the need for disseminating improved technologies through training and demonstrations to encourage farmers to adopt recommended practices for higher returns.