A STUDY ON KNOWLEDGE AND ADOPTION OF NO-TILL MAIZE TECHNOLOGIES BY THE FARMERS IN GUNTUR DISTRICT OF ANDHRA PRADESH
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Date
2016
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Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University
Abstract
The present investigation was undertaken with the main objective of
identifying the level of knowledge and adoption of no-till maize technologies by
the farmers of Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh.
Ex- post-facto research design was followed for the study. Guntur district of
Andhra Pradesh was purposively selected, out of 57 mandals, three mandals were
selected purposively and four villages were selected from each selected mandal for
the study. Respondents were selected from each selected village by following
proportionate random sampling method. Thus, 120 farmers constituted the sample
of the study. Data was collected by pre-tested schedule followed by personal
interview method. Appropriate statistical procedure was employed to analyze and
interpret the data.
The detailed analysis of profile characteristics of no-till maize farmers
indicated that majority of the no-till maize farmers were middle aged (45.00%),
having high school level of education (24.17%), small land holdings (30.83%), 4 to
6 years of farming experience in no-till maize cultivation (46.67%), medium levels
of annual income (62.50%), social participation (55.83%), mass media exposure
(60.83%), extension contact (58.33%) innovativeness (59.17%), scientific
orientation (65.83%), economic motivation (72.50%) and risk orientation (75.00%)
respectively.
The detailed analysis of dependent variables indicated that majority of the
no-till maize farmers (59.17%) had medium level of knowledge followed by high
(25.83%) and remaining with low (15.00%) level of knowledge. An overwhelming
majority of respondents had knowledge on the selected production technology in
following aspects viz., seed rate, method of sowing, spacing, fungicide used in seed
treatment, depth of sowing, quantity of fungicide for seed treatment, pre-emergence
application of atrazine, recommended dose of Carbofuran 3G granules for control
of stem borer, Combination of herbicides recommended for control of weeds in notill
maize, and post emergence application of paraquat.
About 69.17 per cent of no-till maize farmers had medium level of adoption
followed by those having high (17.50%) and low (13.33%) adoption levels.In case
of extent of adoption, present study reported that cent per cent of the no-till maize
farmers were using chemical fertilizers indiscriminately. The recommended dose of
fertilizer for no-till maize is 250 kg N, 80 kg P2O5 and 80 kg K2O per hectare
whereas respondents were using 370 kg N, 140 kg P2O5 and 80 kg K2O per hectare.
Out of twelve selected profile characteristics eight of them such as
education, farming experience, innovativeness, scientific orientation, risk
orientation, economic motivation, mass media exposure and extension contact
showed significant relation with level of knowledge on selected production
technology of no-till maize. But age, land holding, annual income, social
participation did not show any significant relationship with level of knowledge on
selected production technology of no-till maize.
The multiple linear regression analysis (MLR) indicated that all the twelve
selected profile characteristics put together explained 79.02 per cent of variance in
the level of knowledge selected production technology, remaining 20.98 per cent is
due to the extraneous effect of variables.
Out of twelve selected profile characteristics eight of them such as
education, farming experience, innovativeness, scientific orientation, risk
orientation, economic motivation, mass media exposure and extension contact
showed significant relation with the extent of adoption on selected production
technology of no-till maize. But age, land holding, annual income, social
participation did not show any significant relationship with the extent of adoption
on selected production technology of no-till maize.
The multiple linear regression analysis (MLR) indicated that all the twelve
selected profile characteristics put together contributed 81.60 per cent to the total
variance in the extent of adoption, remaining 18.40 per cent due to the extraneous
effect of variables.
The total cost of cultivation of no-till maize cultivation is Rs.53600 which
was greater compared to total costs of rice-fallow black gram cultivation Rs.29600.
The gross returns and net returns of no-till maize were Rs.117900 and Rs.64300 as
against Rs.52500 and Rs.22900 for rice-fallow black gram cultivation respectively.
But the benefit-cost ratio of no-till maize is 1.19 which was much more greater
compared to benefit-cost ratio of rice-fallow black gram cultivation which was only
0.77.
The most important constraints encountered by the no-till maize farmers
were: Scarcity of irrigation water followed by non-availability of public hybrids,
scarcity of labour during peak season, high cost of seed material, high cost of
fertilizers and plant protection chemicals, ineffective weed control, imbalanced use
of fertilizers, high incidence of pests and diseases, non-availability of sowing and
harvesting equipments, non-availability of bio-fertilizers in the local market, poor
extension services, exploitation by middle men in weighing, lack of remunerative
price, non-availability of rural godowns, high cost of transportation, complex
procedures in getting loans from the banks, non-availability of loans for tenant
farmers, inadequate financial assistance from the government and lack of proper
insurance schemes for the maize during natural calamities.
Suggestions made by the no-till maize farmers to overcome the constraints
were: providing public maize hybrids timely on subsidized rates, engagement of
MGNREGA workers in agriculture to overcome labour scarcity, provision of
remunerative minimum support price to maize, Provision of timely credit facility,
provision of sowing and harvesting equipments on subsidy, proper extension
support, strictly implementation of National Agricultural Insurance Scheme for
maize crop, strictly implementation of Warabandi system for improving water use
efficiency, early completion of Pulichintala project for timely sowing of rice
followed by maize, establishment of Processing units for value addition of maize,
development of tolerant hybrids against stem borer and sheath blight, provision of
good marketing facilities and provision of subsidies in using of drip irrigation
system in no-till maize.
Description
D5256
Keywords
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