Author(s): Rajesh Chandra Verma, Shashank Shekhar, Jai Prakash Singh, Narendra Pratap, Avinash Kumar Rai, Shashank Singh and Nimit Singh

Abstract: In response to the dwindling pulse cultivation and the resultant scarcity of pulses in the market, the Government of India has implemented a program to promote pulse cultivation in cluster mode under the National Food Security Mission, facilitated by Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs). In Uttar Pradesh, lentils have emerged as the preferred pulse crop. Our study, conducted by Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ankushpur Ghazipur, during the rabi season of 2020-21 and 2021-2022 in various villages of the Ghazipur district, aimed to revitalize lentil cultivation by introducing new cultivars. We initiated Cluster Front Line Demonstrations (CFLD) focusing on the lentil variety Pant Lentil 8, with 20 and 61 clusters in different years, respectively. The outcomes were encouraging, with integrated crop management practices effectively reducing wilt disease incidence by 90.66 percent over traditional farming methods. Additionally, the application of the systemic insecticide imidacloprid 17.8 SL resulted in a 68.04 percent reduction in aphid populations per plant, on average across the years. Under improved technology adoption, lentil seed yields reached an average of 19.67 quintals per hectare, marking a remarkable 102.05 percent increase over conventional farming practices (9.73 quintals per hectare). Furthermore, the adoption of improved technologies led to significantly higher gross returns, averaging Rs. 88,823 per hectare, and an impressive benefit-cost ratio of 8.68, in contrast to the farmer's practice, which yielded Rs. 44,077 per hectare. Our study found that 100 percent of the respondents adopted good land preparation and timely sowing, followed by 67.21 percent opting for high-yield varieties. However, several constraints were identified, with 100 percent of respondents citing the absence of a reliable market, followed by 91.80 percent facing a lack of technical guidance and 85.25 percent encountering issues related to the unavailability of potential markets. The notable increase in yield can be attributed to the introduction of new lentil varieties, the use of sulfur, and the adoption of weedicide application in cluster mode. This approach facilitated enhanced crop management, ultimately resulting in higher-quality lentil production.

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