Boosting Summer Mung (Vigna radiata L.) Production through Frontline Demonstration in Tarn Taran District of Punjab

Abstract

The present study was conducted to boost summer mung crop area during summer season of 2017 and 2018 with 130 front line demonstration (FLD’s) covering an area of 50 hectare (ha) in Tarn Taran district of Punjab to aware the farmers about improved agricultural technology in real farm situations. The results were compared between FLD and control plots. Latest crop production and protection technologies with improved summer mung varieties (SML 668 and SML 832 during 2017 and 2018, respectively) resulted in an average increase of 23% in the yield of summer mung. Technology gaps, extension gaps and technology indices were calculated to analyze the performance of these FLDs at farmers’ fields. The average extension gap and technology gap recorded were 2.05 q ha-1 and 1.4 q ha-1, respectively. Between both varieties of summer mung, lower technology index of 6.92 per cent in SML 668 in 2017 indicates the feasibility of this variety in existing farming situation in the district over SML 832. This proved that variety SML 668 performed better than SML 832. Sowing of high yielding varieties along with improved package of practices resulted in higher benefit-cost ratio (1.61) over farmers’ practice (1.35) during both years of study.