Year: 2015 | Month: December | volume 2 | Issue 2

Ground reality assessment and possible strategies in improvement of red gram (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) in old alluvial plains of West Bengal

B. Mandal D. Mukherjee and D.P. Ray
DOI:Coming Soon

Abstract:

Average yield of pulse crops in the world during triennium ending 2014 was 890 kg ha-1 where as in the same period, India produced only 648 kg ha-1, showing a yield gap by 27 per cent. The country has to import a large quantity of pulses every year to cater to the need of its domestic demand. Red gram is one of the 14 leguminous pulse crops that are reportedly grown in the country and it contributes about 15 percent of the national area as well as production under pulse crops. A farmer’s plot experiment oriented study was conducted in a region comprised of all the seven blocks of the Jangipur Sub-division in Murshidabad district of West Bengal during the period from 2011-12 to 2014-15 in kharif season every year. Our experiment had two objectives, first one was to study performance of suitable cultivar along with better nutrient management practices for this zone, and second one was to study the yield gap for this crop grown with 3 varieties in the area, and the pictures of price cum profit status of the growers under purely rain fed old alluvial and laterite soil condition. Field experiment revealed that more grain yield was registered with the cultivar P 855 (2.35 t ha-1) and significantly better than rest of the treated cultivars. This gave 37.42 % more yield over local farmer variety. With various integrated nutrient management practices, more grain yield was recorded with the 75 % RDF + 5 t FYM ha-1, and was at par with the all treatment except 50 % RDF + 10 t FYM ha-1. Production efficiency was more registered with the P 855, and was at par with all other treatments except local farmer cultivars. With subplot dealing of production efficiency, considerably more was create with 75 % RDF + 5 t FYM ha-1, and was at par with all the treatment except 50 % RDF + 10 t FYM ha-1. As per economics were concerned more of B:C ratio was found with the cultivar P 855 (2.18) with 75 % RDF + 5 t FYM ha-1 (1.89). Further with the second objective, the yield gap was found to range from 34 to 48 %. The farmers faced large discrepancies in the market regarding the sale of their surplus produce and ultimately they failed to enjoy high profits from growing this crop. But the crop is a promising one in the area provided strategic measures are taken for improvement.

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