Impact Study on Productivity and Sustainability of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) Cultivation Through Cluster Frontline Demonstrations (CFLDs) in Northern Agroclimatic Zone of Telangana

Groundnut is a major oilseed crop supporting farmer livelihoods; however, yields remain suboptimal due to poor adoption of improved technologies. To bridge this gap, cluster front line demonstrations (CFLDs) were conducted during rabi 2022–23, 2023–24 and 2024–25 to assess the productivity, profitability and sustainability of integrated crop management (ICM) practices in the northern agroclimatic zone of Telangana.

A total of 88 demonstrations were laid out on farmers’ fields using improved variety K-1812 (Kadiri Lepakshi) with recommended ICM practices, while adjacent plots under farmers’ practices served as controls. Data on pod yield, technology gap, extension gap, technology index, benefit-cost ratio, sustainability yield index (SYI), sustainability value index (SVI), adoption level and horizontal spread were recorded and analyzed annually.

Improved practices produced a mean pod yield of 25.75 q ha^-1, a 29.58% increase over farmers’ practices (19.86 q ha^-1). The technology gap (5.89 q ha^-1), extension gap (19.25 q ha^-1) and technology index (42.78%) indicated further scope for yield improvement. Higher SYI (0.60, 0.64, 0.60) and SVI (1.74, 1.85, 1.99) under ICM compared to farmers’ practice confirmed sustainability advantages. CFLDs achieved a superior B:C ratio (3.54) and generated an additional income of ₹ 34,789.95 ha^-1 over traditional practice (2.72). Adoption of ICM increased substantially (overall 159.51%), with horizontal spread expanding to 282 ha (206.07%) by 2024–25. The findings highlight the strong potential of ICM-based CFLDs for enhancing groundnut productivity, profitability and sustainable technology dissemination under real farm conditions.