Frontline demonstration: a productivity enhancement and technology dissemination tool for pigeon pea in eastern UP

The frontline demonstration (FLD) was conducted by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Azamgarh (ND University of Agriculture and Technology, Faizabad) UP on pigeon pea by using raised bed production technique with improved package of practices at 62 farmer fields in the district for four consecutive years viz 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10 and 2010–11. The results reveal that increasing trends were obtained with yield of demonstrated plots along with per cent increase in yield over traditional practices in each progressive year of the study. The highest grain yield (16.3 q ha⁻¹) was found in the last year 2009–10 which was very close to yield obtained in 2010–11. In the frontline demonstration it was substantially higher (69%) over the farmers practice (9.64 q ha⁻¹) however the lowest yield (12.6 q ha⁻¹) was recorded in the year 2007–08 under demonstration when compared to traditional production system (9.40 q ha⁻¹) which resulted more than succeeding year 2008–09 in farmers practice. The ascending variation in the per cent increase in the yield was found due to variation in agro-climatic parameters under rainfed condition. In same sequence the other parameters like technology gap, extension gap and technology index were also analyzed for assessment of technology adoption rate with extension activities and feasibility of demonstrated technologies at ground reality levels. The average of technology gap and technological index were found to be 10.6 and 42.3 per cent respectively. Moreover the results clearly indicate the positive effects of FLDs over the existing practices towards enhancing the productivity of pigeon pea in the rainfed region of eastern UP. Demonstrated technologies proved most remunerative and economically feasible against traditional production system.