Performance of pigeonpea variety BDN 2013-41 (Godavari) for growth, yield and economics in Solapur District of Maharashtra

Abstract

An on-farm trial (OFT) was conducted during the Kharif season 2021-2022, 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 to evaluate the performance of the improved Pigeonpea variety BDN 2013-41 (Godavari) under farmers’ field conditions. The trial was carried out in selected villages with the participation of progressive farmers to compare the improved variety with the locally cultivated variety. Observations on growth, yield attributes, grain yield and economics were recorded. The results revealed that BDN 2013-41 produced higher grain yield and better yield attributes than the local check. The pigeon pea variety BDN 2013-41 recorded higher average grain yield (20.01qha?¹) as compared to average yield obtained from farmer’s practice (15.50qha?¹) which computed to increase in yield by 30.22 per cent during the years under observation. The variety also fetched higher average net returns (73531? ha?¹) and benefit-cost ratio (2.22), indicating its suitability for adoption under limited irrigation conditions. The OFT demonstrated the superiority and farmer acceptability of BDN 2013-41 for sustainable Pigeonpea production.