Impact of cluster frontline demonstration programme on the yield of chickpea (cicer arietinum l.) In mehsana district of gujarat, india

Cluster Front Line demonstrations (CFLDs) is a unique approach to provide an direct interface between researcher and farmers as the scientists are directly involved in planning, execution and monitoring of the demonstrations. The present study was conducted to assess the impact of cluster frontline demonstrations of chickpea crop in the Mehsana district of Gujarat state. Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is a highly nutritious grain legume crop and is widely appreciated as health food as well as high return crop. Cluster Front line demonstrations were conducted at 93 farmers' fields under 37.2 ha, to demonstrate production potential and economic benefits of improved technologies. Study revealed that improved cultivation practices comprised under CFLDs viz., improved varieties, proper tillage, proper seed rate, line sowing using seed cum fertilizer drill, seed treatment with chemical fungicide, dual inoculation of Rhizobium + PSB, RDF as per STV, water management at critical stages, weed management and application of IPM module for the management of insect (Specially on gram pod borer) resulted in increase in yield in gram crop over the check plots. The improved technologies gave higher yields and recorded a mean yield of 20.60 and 21.45 q/ha chickpea yield during 2017-18 and 2018-19, respectively which was 22.26 and 16.39 percent higher compared to prevailing farmers practice. The benefit: cost ratios of chick pea cultivation under improved practices were 4.10 and 3.82 as compared to 3.20 and 3.43 under farmer practices for the two consecutive years.