This document provides details on a research proposal comparing different crop establishment methods for lentils. The proposal includes: 1) An introduction outlining the background and importance of lentils in Nepal as well as the problem of low yields from current establishment practices. 2) Objectives to determine the productivity and economic returns of different establishment methods. 3) A methodology section describing the experimental design, treatments, data collection, and economic analysis that will be used to evaluate establishment options.

1. A research proposal on
“CROP ESTABLISHMENT OPTIONS
FOR LENTILAT PAKLIHAWA”
Undergraduate Practicum Assessment
BSc.AG 8th Semester
Researchers: Major Advisor:
Suraj poudel Asst.Prof Prakash Ghimire
Birochan Acharya Department of Agronomy
Bikash Poudel IAAS, Paklihawa Campus
IAAS, Paklihawa Campus

2. Table of contents:
1. Introduction
1.1 Background
1.2 Statement of problem
1.3 Justification of study
1.4. Objectives
2. Literature Review
3. Methodology
3.1. Experimental site
3.2. Physiochemical properties of soil
3.3. Experimental Setup
3.4. Crop management Practices
3.5. Observations
3.5.1. Phenological Observation
3.5.2. Biometric Observation
3.5.3. Yield and Yield attributing characters
3.6. Economic analysis
3.7. Statistical analysis
4. Calendar of Operation
5. Budget Summary
6. Scope and Limitation

3. 1.1. Background:
• Lentil (Lens culinaris) belonging to family Fabaceae commonly known as
legume family is one of the world's oldest crops having been cultivated in
southwestern Asia since 7000 BC.
• Lentil is a nutritious food legume. It is cultivated for its seed and mostly
eaten as dal. Dal is seed that is decorticated and split.
• It contains relatively higher contents of protein, carbohydrate and calories
compared to other legumes and is the most desired crop because of its high
average protein content and fast cooking characteristic in many lentil
producing regions (Muehlbauer et al., 1985).
• Lentil protein, like other pulse proteins, is a good source of the essential
amino acids, particularly leucine, lysine, threonine, and phenylalanine, but is
deficient in the sulphur-containing essential amino acids methionine and
cysteine.
1. Introduction

4. Lentil Morphology:
• The botanical features of Lens culinaris (cultivated lentil) can be described as
annual bushy herb, slender almost erect or sub erect, much-branched, softly hairy;
stems slender, angular, 15-75 cm height (Duke, 1981; Muehlbauer et al., 1985).
• Ten to sixteen leaflets are subtended on the rachis (40-50 mm).
• The leaves are alternate, compound, pinnate, usually ending in a tendril or bristly;
leaflets 4-7 pairs, alternate or opposite; oval, sessile, 1-2 cm long; stipules small,
entire; pods oblong, flattened or compressed, smooth, to 1.3 cm long, 1-2-seeded;
seed biconvex, rounded, small, lens-shaped, green, greenish-brown or light red
speckled with black;
• The weight of 100 seeds range from 2 to 8 g; cotyledons red, orange, yellow, or
green. Flowers are small, pale blue, purple, white or pink. Flowering proceeds
acropetally.
• Germination is hypogeal and this keeps the developing seedlings below ground
level which reduces the effects of freezing and other desiccating environmental
conditions (Muehlbauer et al.1985).

5. Lentil Production in world:
• Lentils are consumed globally as whole grain or in the form of
decorticated(outer layer removed) and split kernels.
• The majority of the world’s lentils are grown in Canada. In 2017, Canada
produced some 3.73 million metric tons of lentils followed by India, Turkey
and United states.
• Lentil consumption is the highest in Canada with 6 kg per person per year
followed by Sri Lanka (4.5 kg) and Nepal (4.1 kg). In Nepal, lentil is the
predominant pulse and its consumption is relatively high.
Lentil Production in Nepal:
• Nepal contributes about 0.4% of world pulse area and production.
• Lentil are grown in 205,939 ha with production and productivity of 253,041
metric tonnes and 1,113 kg/ha respectively (MoAD, 2015/16).
• According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United
Nations, Nepal produced 226,830 tonnes of lentils in 2014 to take the fifth
place behind Canada, India, Australia and Turkey. In 2010, Nepal’s output
totalled 151,757 tonnes, placing it in the fifth position.

6. 1.2.Statement of Problem:
• Although lentil is a common winter crop farmers are not being able to gain
maximum benefit from its evaluation.
• People generally practice relay and sequential broadcasting followed by
conventional tillage.
• They regards line sowing as tedious and time-consuming.
• There are problems such as non-uniformity in germination and crop
establishment and ultimately low yield is seen.
• There is a significant difference between actual yield and attainable yield..
• Due to high use of tractors and machineries, energy and tillage cost are high
which becomes unaffordable to poor farmers.
• There has not been any research related to ITK of lentil farmers and
efficiency is not estimated yet.

7. 1.3.Justification of study:
• Our experiment will have 5 different methods of lentil sowing as treatments
and we will observe different characteristics and performance of it.
• A comparative analysis of these five different establishment methods can
helps us to assess the best method for lentil establishment.
• Also, a profitability (B/C ratio) calculation of different methods can helps
us to determine profitable lentil establishment method.
• Thus, the result/findings of our study can be recommended to the farmers
and hoped that it will solve the current problems of lentils farmers.
• The best and profitable lentil establishment methods can be recommended
to the farmers.

8. 1.4.Objectives:
General Objective:
• To study the impact of different crop establishment methods in growth,
productivity and profitability of lentil
Specific Objectives:
• To ascertain the productivity of lentil under different methods of crop
establishment; and
• To determine the economic return of lentil cultivation under different crop
establishment methods.
• To recommend the best planting methods of lentil to the lentil growers of
Nepal.

9. 2. Literature Review
• Introduction of Lentil
• Botany/ Morphology
• Importance/ uses
• Crop establishment methods
• Nodulation
• Pod formation
• Branching
• Flowering
• Harvest indices
• A field experiment carried out by K. Parveen and M.S.U. Bhuiya at the
Agronomy Field of Bangladesh Agricultural University, to study the effects of
method of sowing (Broadcast and Line sowing) and seed rate (30, 40, 50 and 60
kg ha-1) on the yield and yield components of Lentil (BARI Masur 5) in 2008/9
reported that method of sowing showed significant effect on number of pods plant-1,
straw yield (t ha-1), biological yield (t ha-1) and harvest index (%).

10. • The results of experiment conducted by Palash Mandal et. al at the farmer’s field in
Bangladesh during November 2012 to March 2013 to know the performance of lentil
varieties viz. BARI masur-3, BARI masur-4, BARI masur-6 and BARI masur-7 under
traditional and relay sowing methods with T. Aman rice in split- plot design revealed that
sowing methods produced significant effect on days to 50% flowering, days to maturity,
plant population m-2, number of branch plant-1, number of pod plant-1, number of seed
pod-1, seed yield and straw yield.
• They reported that significantly lower seed yield was obtained from relay sowing than
traditional method mainly because of lower plant population m-2, number of branch plant-
1 and pod plant-1.

11. 3.Methodology:
3.1 Experimental site:
• A field experiment will be conducted at IAAS Agronomy farm of Paklihawa Campus.
• The area is located at 27o 41’0”N latitude and 83o 25’0” E longitude with an elevation of 107
masl.
• The soil type is clay loam and climatically humid tropical with average annual rainfall of
1406 mm (mainly during mid to late summer).
• The minimum temperature drops as low as 100C in January and with an average of 140C, and
highest temperature 320C with an average 250C.
Figure 1 : Map of IAAS Agronomy farm, Rupandehi, Nepal
Source:Google map

12. 3.2.Physiochemical properties of soil:
Composite soil sample will be randomly taken from different spots from 0-
15cm depth using auger to test the physiochemical properties of the
experimental soil.
The soil sample will be air dried, grounded and sieved through 2mm sieve
and finally tested in the lab.
Table 1: Physicochemical properties of soil of the experimental site at IAAS,
agronomy farm, Bhairahwa
S.N Properties Average
value
Rating Applied
method
1. Organic Matter %
2. pH
3. Available Nitrogen
4. Available P2O5
5. Available K20

13. 3.3 Experimental Setup:
• Design: Simple Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD)
• Treatments: five
• Replication: Four
• Plot size: 3*2 m2
• Spacing: Between two plots: 50cm
Between two blocks: 100cm
• Gross Field Size: 180m2
• Net Field Size: 120m2
• Variety used: Simal
Table no.2: Details of treatments those will be used in experimental research
Symbol Treatments
T1 Conventional tillage -Broadcasting
T2 Conventional tillage –Line sowing
T3 Zero tillage – Relay(surface seeding)
T4 Zero tillage- Line sowing
T5 Zero tillage- sequential surface seeding

14. Figure 2 :Layout of experiment:
An individual plot
3m
2m
12m
15m

15. 3.4 Crop management practices:
• Cropping sequence:
During the experimental year, the field was cultivated with rice before the lentil
research.
1. Land preparation:
• The field is prepared through 2-3 ploughing by using tractor drawn rotavator and
planking.
2. Seed rate and sowing:
• In relay method, lentil will be sown 15 days before harvest of rice in field on 3rd
week of karthik at the rate of 50 kg/ha.
• Rice plant will be harvested retaining straw height 15-20 cm above the ground
level for relay method of sowing but for other methods, it will be harvested at the
ground level.
• For other methods, lentil seeds will be sown on 1st week of Mangsir.
• Seed are continuously sown in line maintaining 25 cm row to row distance.
• Depth of sowing is 4-5cm and the furrow is covered by thin layer of soil.

16. 3.Manure and fertilizer application:
• Recommended dose: 20:40:20 kg NPK/ha and FYM is 5 ton / ha.
• Applied amount: Urea-5.67gm, DAP-52.16gm, Potash- 20.00gm
• Full dose of FYM, P2O5 and K2O and N2 are applied at the time of
field preparation.
4. Intercultural Operations:
4.1.Weeding:
• Hand weeding will be done. Two weeding at 30 DAS and 60 DAS
followed by earthing up will be done.
4.2.Irrigation:
• After germination of seed uniformly light irrigation will be given.
• Later, irrigation will be applied during flowering stage and pod
formation stage.
4.3 Plant protection:
• Field sanitation will be given much priority as it is the cause for many
diseases and insects- pest.
• Pesticides will be applied according to recommended dose in case of
disease appearance.

17. 5.Harvesting and threshing:
• The whole plant is harvested by cutting by sickle just above the ground.
• The plants are harvested when the pods turn yellow to brown and
harvesting will be done in morning to avoid shattering.
6. Drying
• Then, the plants are sun dried and beaten with sticks for threshing.

18. 3.5 Observations
• Plant sampling and data collection:
 Ten plants from each treatment will be randomly selected and marked with
colored rope for recording data.
 The data of plant characters were recorded from emergence to till harvest.
Quadrant of 0.5m2 will be prepared for taking data.
3.5.1. Phenological observations:
• Days to 100% Germination
Daily field observation will be done and days of complete emergence will be
recorded.
• Days to 50% flowering:
Daily field observation will be done and days of 50% flowering in each plot will be
recorded.
• Days to 90% pod formation:
Daily field observation will be done and days of 90% pod formation will be recorded.
• Days to maturity:
Daily field observation will be done and days of maturity will be recorded.

19. 3.5.2. Biometric observations:
Plant height (cm) at harvest:
Ten plants will be selected randomly from each plot and tagged.
No. of Nodules per plant:
 Ten plants will be selected randomly from the field at 30DAS, 60DAS and
90 DAS and nodules in the plant were counted.
3.5.3. Yield and yield attributing characters:
Plant Population:
 Final plant stands at harvest will be recorded from 0.5m2 area from the
center of each plot.
 For this, a 0.5m2 frame will be made and total number of plants present
inside the boundary of frame will be counted.
Number of branches per plant:
 Number of branches will be counted from each plant of randomly selected
10 plants at 30 DAS and 60 DAS and average will be calculated.

20. • Number of pods per plant:
 Number of pods per plant will be counted from each plant of randomly selected
10 plants at maturity stage and average will be calculated.
• Number of grains per pod:
 Number of grains per pod will be counted from each plant of randomly selected
10 plants at maturity stage and average will be calculated.
• Test weight:
 Test weight is an important factor for determining the yield of crop.
 After harvesting lentil from each plot, the 1000-seeds will be counted and
weighed with a digital electric balance.
 The 1000-seed weight will be recorded in gram.
• Grains and stover yield (Total biomass):
 Total grain yield from each plot will be recorded by weighing grains after
harvesting and expressed in gram per ha.
 Total stover yield from each plot will be recorded by weighing lentil plants after
harvesting manually.

21. • Harvest index:
 Harvest index (HI) will be computed by dividing economic yield with the
biological yield. The harvest index is converted into percentage.
 Harvest index = Dry mass of economic yield ×100
Dry mass of biological yield
3.6. Economic analysis:
• To determine which planting methods can generate high net return to the farmer and
• To determine which method will be considering safe on the basis of benefit cost
ratio B: C.
Cost of cultivation:
• Cost of cultivation was calculated on the basis of local charges for different agro-
inputs, i.e. labor, fertilizer, compost, and other necessary materials.
• Cost of cultivation for the five different methods was calculated separately.
Gross return:
• Economic yield (grains + straw) of lentil was converted into gross return (Rs ha-1)
on the basis of local market price.
Net return:
• It was calculated by subtracting the cost of cultivation from the gross return.
B: C ratio:
• It was calculated by the formula,
B: C ratio = Gross return / Cost of cultivation.

22. Table no: B/C ratio analysis( Sample)
S.N Particulars Conventio
nal
Broadcast
ing
Conventio
nal line
sowing
Relay
Cropping
Minimum
Tillage
Surface
Seeding
1 INPUT
1.1 Seed and
fertilizer(Nrs.)
2 SERVICES
2.1 Tractor and
machineries(Land
preparation) (Nrs.)
2.2 Irrigation(Nrs.)
2.3 Threshing (Nrs.)

23. S.
N
Particulars Conventi
onal
Broadcast
ing
Convention
al line
sowing
Relay
Cropping
Minim
um
TIllage
Surface
Seeding
3 LABOUR
3.
1
Land preparation(Nrs.)
3.
2
Seed sowing and fertilizer
application(Nrs.)
3.
3
Harvesting(Nrs.)
3.
4
Processing and
packaging(Nrs.)
4 Total Cost(Nrs.)
5 Total lentil
production(kg/ha)
6 Price for lentil (NRs/kg)
7 Gross income (NRs)
8 Net profit (NRs/ha)
9 Benefit cost ratio

24. 3.7 Statistical analysis
Data analysis:
• The recorded data will be processed to fit into R-studio software.
• The data entry will be done to develop ANOVA table.
• If the null hypothesis is rejected DMRT a mean separation technique will
be applied to identify the most efficient treatment.
• Correlation and regression analysis will be done for group comparison
(Gomez and Gomez, 1984).

25. S.N Activities Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May
1. Variety and other inputs collection and
preparation
2. Land preparation and soil testing
3. Seed sowing
4. Intercultural operation
5. Data collection and recording
6. Harvesting and yield estimation
7. Post-harvest data recording and
compilation
8. Data analysis
9. Thesis writing
10. Article preparation and publication
4. Calendar of Operation:

26. S.N Activities Unit Quantity Unit rate (Rs) Total amount (Rs)
1. Seed collection and purchasing Kg 1.5 165 250
2. Land preparation and sowing
Ploughing Hr 0.5 1200 600
Fertilizer and manures Kg 300 lumsum
Irrigation Hr 1 300 300
Labor charge Per person 4 500 2000
3. Intercultural operations
Labor charge (weeding) Per person 4 500 2000
Pesticides Bottle 1 200 200
Irrigation Hr 1 300 300
4. Harvesting and storage
Labor charge Per person 2 500 1000
5. Data collection and recording times 2 500 1000
6. Soil testing Times 2 1000 2000
7. Local transportation Lumsum 500
8. Stationary Lumsum 500
9. Literature review Lumsum 1000
10. Data analysis, write up and report preparation Lumsum 1500
11. Thesis writing and printing lumsum 3000
12. Article publication Lusum 1000
13. Sub Total 15650
14. Contingency 5% 782.5
Total 16432.5
5. Budget summary:

27. 6. Scope and limitations:
5.1. Scope:
• Farmers may get direct benefit from the research.
• Another research can be done each year based on this experiment in coming
years.
• Researchers working in rice-lentil cropping system can be benefited as
reference materials.
• The economical best crop establishment method for lentil will be identified
on the basis of B/C ratio.
5.2. Limitations:
• Late planting of rice may be a limitation for timely sowing of lentil.
• Not reliable weather forecasting and weather data.
• Labor shortage
• Administration problems such as not ploughing field in time.
• Suitable variety of lentil may not be available in time.

28. 7. References:
• K. Parveen and M.S.U. Bhuiya, Effect of method of sowing and seed rate on the
yield and yield components of lentil, J. Agrofor. Environ. 4 (1): 155-157, 2010
• Palash Mandal et. al, Effect of Relay and Traditional Sowing Methods on Yield and
Economic Performance of Lentil in Transplant Aman Rice Field. International
Journal of Research in Agriculture and Forestry Volume 2, Issue 1, January 2015,
PP 21-32 ISSN 2394-5907 (Print) & ISSN 2394-5915 (Online)

29. Thank you for your attention!!!