Performance and evaluation of summer mungbean in rice-wheat cropping system through frontline demonstrations in the irrigated ecosystem of Haryana

Abstract

The wide gap between requirement and production of pulses in India still exists in spite of accounting one third of world total pulses area. The third estimate indicates 14.1 million tonnes (mt) of pulses production in the country for the year 2006-07 with a shortfall of 2-3 million tonnes and the demand of pulses is projected as 19.2 million tonnes by the end of XI Plan (Ali, 2007). Simultaneously, under the National Food Security Mission, the production of major cereals like rice and wheat has been envisaged to increase the wheat output by 8 mt and rice by 18 mt, respectively to feed the growing population. Under such conditions, though it is not possible to shift the cereals by pulses, the later can be easily accommodated in the rice-wheat cropping sequence. Such practice not only adds to pulses production, the soil health to sustain productivity of rice-wheat cropping system may also improve. Fortunately, short duration varieties of mungbean have been found suitable to fit in rice-wheat cropping sequence. The time period of 60 to 70 days after the harvest of wheat before transplanting of rice can be efficiently utilized by growing summer mungbean, thereby, adding value to rice- wheat cropping system. To evaluate the long term impact of such technology frontline demonstrations on summer mungbean in rice-wheat cropping system were conducted at farmers' fields and its performance was evaluated on the parameters of productivity and profitability enhancement.