Enhancing lentil productivity and farmer income through cluster front line demonstrations in Haryana
Keywords:
Cluster Front Line Demonstrations (CFLD), Economic analysis, Farm income, Lentil, Productivity, Yield gapAbstract
A field study was conducted over four consecutive Rabi seasons from 2017- 18 to 2020-21 in Yamuna Nagar district of Haryana to assess the impact of improved lentil production technologies under Cluster Front Line Demonstrations (CFLDs). A total of 156 demonstrations were carried out, covering an area of 62.4 hectares across 17 villages. The demonstrations introduced high-yielding varieties (‘PL-8’ and ‘LL-931’), timely sowing and seed treatment with Carbendazim and biofertilizer inoculation (Rhizobium and PSB), balanced fertilizer application and integrated weed management. The results consistently showed yield advantages ranging from 10.3 to 30.6 percent over traditional farmer practices, with an average demonstration yield of 1110.7 kg/ha compared to 936.8 kg/ha in farmers’ fields. The mean extension gap was 174 kg/ha, and the technology gap averaged 289.3 kg/ha, highlighting the potential for further productivity enhancement. Improvements were also observed in key yield attributes such as plant population, seed weight, seeds per pod and pods per plant, which increased by 12.5, 9.8, 2.5 and 15.9 percent, respectively. Economic analysis indicated higher profitability under demonstration plots, with net returns improving from ` 17,387 to ` 26,783 per hectare and an average benefit-cost ratio of 2.09, compared to 1.68 in farmers’ practice. The study clearly demonstrates that the adoption of improved production technologies in lentil can significantly enhance yield, profitability and resource-use efficiency, offering a viable approach to improving farm income in the region.
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