Dissemination of pulses production technologies for enhancing profitability of farmers in Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

A participatory study to disseminate pulses production technologies in an integrated manner was made during 2012- 14 in adopted villages of Kanpur Dehat and Fatehpur districts of Uttar Pradesh so as to evaluate the appropriate technologies for enhancing profitability and productivity of pulses. Findings revealed that ridge planting in pigeonpea was highly beneficial (15-20% higher yield) and farmers' friendly to get rid of vagaries related to Kharif rainfall over flat planted one. Post emergence application of Imazethapyr for Kharif pulses (urdbean and pigeanpea) was remarkably useful as it was successfully evaluated at farmers' field. The farmers realized the competition imposed by (diverse) weed flora and opted for a combined application of pendimethalin at 1 kg/ha (pre-emergence or pre) + imazethapyr @ 100 g/ha (post emergence, PE at 20-25 DAS) instead of single herbicide (Pendimethalin pre) application. This weed control was efficient giving adequate control of weeds especially in Kharif mungbean, urdbean and pigeonpea. During Rabi (2012-13 and 2013-14), successful intercropping intervention involving chickpea + mustard (6:2 ratio in replacement series) could motivate farmers for its adoption as an efficient intercropping system. Intercropping had an additional mustard yield of 300 kg/ha resulting in superiority in chickpea equivalent yield (CEY) to the tune of 13.9-18% (250-289 kg/ha).Growing of summer mungbean has been a viable and profitable enterprise for farmers having irrigation facility. Higher mungbean seed yield (750 kg/ha) under farmers' field was realized for a period of 2 months and necessity for second picking of matured pods did not arise as the genotype "SAMRAT" offers synchronous maturity. For successful intervention and adoption of viable technologies and system sustainability, need based integrated plant protection has been the key. Soil and water conservation intervention involving IIPR improved zero till seed drill has been a boon to small and marginal farmers as it could be used during summer/winter season to save scarce resources. Short duration pulses like, mungbean was remunerative to both diversify and intensify the predominantly rice-wheat system of Indo-Gangetic Plains. Further, growing of pulses had helped the farmers to enhance their soil quality/fertility and raising the farm income judiciously coupled with gainfully utilization of farm inputs/resources like, land, labour, fertilizer, water and plant protections measures etc. from their small/marginal land holdings.