Yield gap analysis of Niger (Guizotia abyssinica L.) in north eastern Ghat zone of Odisha

Abstract

Niger (Guizotia abyssinica L.) is a major oilseed crop grown in Odisha's North Eastern Ghat Zone, but farmers' actual yields is very low as compared to potential yield. During the kharif 2021, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kandhamal, in the North Eastern Ghat Zone of Odisha, conducted participatory field demonstrations taking twenty-five farmers in three clusters in the villages of Greenbadi, Pangali, and Pleheri in the block Daringbadi of the Kandhamal district. The average yield of Niger var. Utkal Niger-150 wasrecorded to be 2.8 to 3.8 q/ha under farmers' practices and 4.8 to 6.2 q/ha under demonstration plots in this study. In comparison to farmers' practices, the demonstration plot’s recorded 23 to 28 percentage higher yield. The technological gap was 2.04 q ha-1 and extension gap was 0.66 q ha-1 under demonstration indicating the need to educate the farmers on technological aspects of niger cultivation and provide technological support to the farmers through various need based extension approaches for the adoption of improved oilseed production technologies to enhance productivity and profitability. The value of technology index was (25.50 per cent) which indicated the feasibility of the demonstrated oil seed technologies for higher productivity.