Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
16.3.8 l
ack
of
a
ppRopRiate
p
olicy
S
UppoRt
Many coarse grains like finger millet (
Eleusine coracana
), sorghum (
Sorghum
bicolor
), pearl millet (
Pennisetum glaucum
), and others do not have a fair price pol-
icy. Yet, these crops are highly nutritious and important components of diet.
16.4 YIELD GAPS IN RAINFED AGRICULTURE
The factors described above are among major constraints to achieving high prod-
uctivity levels of rainfed crops in the farmers' fields. Thus, the yield gaps between
potential, on-station, and farm yields and adopted crop management are high. Unless
better water and nutrient management technologies are adopted, along with improved
seed combination, harnessing the benefits of modern technologies to enhancing crop
production cannot be realized.
The large yield gap between demonstration plots managed by scientists and actual
national averages exists in most cereals as well as oilseed crops (Table 16.2). Crop
yield directly or indirectly is the numerator and the determinant of the nutrient use
efficiency (NUE) of the crop and of the soil and agronomic factors that increase
crop yield and improve the NUE. Prior to any discussion on management factors,
it is appropriate to assess the potential and attainable yields of crops in different
regions of India. Some examples of data on potential yield, on-station yield, and
on-farm yield for the regions where research stations are located are summarized in
Table 16.3
.
There exists a yield gap of 37% to 52% between potential and on-station yields and
35% to 70% between potential and on-farm yields. The gap between on-station and
on-farm yields ranges between 6% and 44%. In general, the yield gaps are wider in
TABLE 16.2
Yield Gaps in Dryland Agriculture in India
Average Yield (Mg ha
-1
)
National
Demonstration
National
Average
Yield Gap
(Mg ha
-1
)
Crop
Cereals
Kharif
1.40
0.78
0.62
Rabi
1.73
0.92
0.81
Millets
0.92
0.61
0.31
Pulses
0.75
0.35
0.40
Oilseeds
Edible oilseeds
0.60
0.34
0.26
Castor bean
0.52
0.23
0.29
Source:
Srinivasarao, Ch.,
Indian J Fertil
, 7(4), 12-25, 2011.
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