Performance and Impact of Front Line Demonstration of Papaya in Western Rajasthan

Papaya (Carica papaya L.) a "wonder fruit of the tropic" has become popular due to its high nutritional and medicinal value and high productivity in shortest possible time.India leads the world (44.4%) in papaya production with an annual output of 5.70 mt from 0.13 mha with a national productivity of 42.85 t ha -1 (NHB, 2018).However, productivity is lower in Rajasthan (8.57t ha -1 ) due to severe biotic and abiotic stresses and a lack of technical knowledge among the growers (viz.use of black polythene mulch, timely application of plant protection measures, water management, balanced fertilization etc.) and unavailability of genetically pure seeds or seedlings of suitable varieties.Front line demonstrations on improved cultivation practices of papaya variety Red Lady were carried out to address these issues.As a result, papaya production increased by 64.37% (71.05 t ha -1 ) compared to farmers' practices (43.25 t ha -1 ).The net economic return was Rs. 7,65,868 ha -1 and the benefit-cost ratio was 3.55.