Yield and Technology Gap Analysis for Enhancement of Rice Production and Productivity under Rain-Fed Conditions of Chandel, Manipur, India

In order to evaluate the effects of rice production under Frontline Demonstration (FLD) in terms of yield, yield gap/extension gap, technology gap, and economic gains during the kharif season from 2018 to 2022, a study was carried out in the Chandel district of Manipur state. The current FLD on rice variety RC-Maniphou-13 was conducted at 40 hectares in 92 farmers' fields across several villages of Chandel district, Manipur by Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Chandel, Indian Council of Agricultural Research Centre for North Eastern Hill Region (ICAR-RC for NEH-Region), Manipur Centre. The findings showed that throughout the experimentation years, the average grain production of rice in the demonstration field varied from 57.60 to 60.60 q/ha during 2018 to 2022, while in farmers' practices, it was between 42.50 and 47.33 q/ha during 2018 to 2022. The range of the production percentage increase for Demonstration Practices over Farmers' Practices was 28.04 to 35.53 during the five years of studies. The yield gap/technological and extension gaps, in that order, were from 9.40 to 12.40 and 13.27 to 15.10 q/ha, respectively. Likewise, over the course of the study, the technology index dropped from 17.71 to 13.43 percent. Under demonstration, the benefit-cost ratio ranged from 1.98 to 2.65, but under farmer practices, it ranged from 1.09 to 1.91. The yield potential of rice was greatly enhanced by FLD on improved practices with High Yielding Variety of proven technologies in farmers' fields, leading to an increase in production and productivity. Additionally, by closing the technology gaps, farmers' income levels improved the standard of living for the farming community in the region.