SCALING UP OF SESAME PRODUCTION UNDER CLUSTER FRONTLINE DEMONSTRATION TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PROGRAMME IN PUNJAB, INDIA - A. Preety; G. S. Makkar (Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences, 2024)
The present investigations were undertaken to assess the effectiveness of demonstrated technology of sesame cultivation at farmers’ fields for their awareness with the objective of narrowing yield gaps in sesame crop in the rain fed areas of Punjab, India. A total of seventy-five Cluster Frontline Demonstrations (CFLDs) were conducted on improved farm technology of sesame, in which the full package of agronomic practices for its cultivation were used with special focus on improved cultivars and Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which are major constraints in sesame production. The performance of the technology demonstrated under the CFLDs was compared with that of the traditional farmers’ practice. The yield enhancement, technological gap and extension yield gaps along with the economic analysis were studied for the three years during Kharif 2017-18 to Kharif 2019-2020. The average technology gap, extension yield gap and technology index of 1.43 quintal per hectare (q/ha), 1.54 q/ha and 20.4%, respectively, were recorded. The improved farm technology package demonstrated showed significant enhancement in the profitability of oilseeds in terms of gross returns and net returns besides additional returns (Rs. 9098–15215/- per ha) and incremental benefit-cost ratio (3.54–4.40). The demonstrated farm technology was found to have huge potential to enhance sesame productivity and profitability, thereby enabling farmers to earn better livelihood under normal and collateral farming situations.
Keywords: journal article; Frontline demonstrations; Economics; Sesame; Extension gap; Productivity; Technology index