Dissemination of Elite Brinjal Variety-HZKB-1 under Organic Cultivation in Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir through Farmers’ Participation

With the aim to disseminate the farmer’s potential brinjal variety in a new region, the brinjal variety HZKB-1 in comparison with three check varieties Pant Rituraj, Hisar Shyamal and BR-112 was evaluated for its performance and suitability through farmers’ participation using researcher-managed farmer-implemented trials (RMFITs) during summer-rainy season 2021. Across the 28 farmer’s fields, it was replicated seven times covering Uttarakhand (Dehradun and Almora) and Jammu & Kashmir (Rajouri). The data revealed the superiority of HZKB-1 in terms of fruit yield (335.00 q/ha) which was 10.45 %, 16.15 % and 9.74 % higher over the checks BR-112, Pant Rituraj and Hisar Syamal. It took 122.86 days for the first picking and recorded superior in yield-related traits viz. fruit weight (240.49 g), fruit diameter (12.11 cm) and fruit length (13.94 cm). Apart from that the farmer-managed trials (FMTs) conducted at 23 farmer’s fields covering the same target area revealed Rajouri as the most suitable district for the cultivation of HZKB-1 variety. As per the growers’ feedback, the variety has a shelf life of 5-7 days and negligible pest damage was observed. The desirable traits of the variety exhibited in new areas under organic cultivation make the cultivar suitable for cultivation and dissemination in targeted areas.