Dissemination of Improved Production Techniques of Minor Millets Through Front Line Demonstrations for Productivity Enhancement in Theni, Madurai and Dindigul Districts of Southern Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Background: Nowadays, minor millets becoming more popular than other cereals due to its inherent properties of adaptability to a range of marginal growing conditions, nutritious and withstanding severe biotic and abiotic stresses. However, underutilized and neglected in the cultivation part in several areas. It is also a known fact that the Theni, Madurai and Dindigul districts of southern Tamil Nadu has major population of scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribes (ST),”Paliyans”are living near the foothills of the Western Ghats, which is largely rural. These populations are really vulnerable communities which need better agricultural system for livelihood improvement and nutritional security. Attempts were made to popularize and adopt the high yielding variety and scientific methods of crop management practices in the farmers holdings of Theni district of Tamil Nadu through Front line demonstrations (FLDs) during 2016-19. The results exhibited that the average higher grain yield of 1559 kg/ha in barnyard millet and 1004 kg/ha in little millet were recorded in demonstration plots compared to 1250 kg/ha and 860 kg/ha respectively in farmers practice with a yield advantage of 24.7 and 16.7 per cent respectively. In summary, FLDs on village level were carried out by insisting worth of seed selection at farmers field and adoption of new variety under scientific methods of minor millet cultivation among the farming community for higher yield and income. Methods: The study was conducted in Western Ghats location of Theni, Madurai and Dindigul districts during 2016-19. The large-scale Frontline demonstrations were conducted in farmer’s field of selected villages of Aundipatti block of Theni district of Tamil Nadu during 2016-17 and 2017-18 in which need-based interventions were made on millet cultivation among the farmers who comes under SC/ST category of under privileged section. Result: The results of the Frontline demonstration confirmed that TNAU Barnyard millet varieties CO (Kv) 2 and MDU 1 and little millet variety CO (Sa) 4 with improved cultivation practices were found better than the local check at farmer’s field. Yield of the frontline demonstration trials and potential yield of the crop variety was compared to estimate the yield gap. Thus, the demonstration improved the skill of the farmer as well as the interest of adoption of new variety.