G. R. GohilTANKODARA KALPESHKUMAR DINESHKUMAR2021-07-012021-07-012019-06https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810170004The area under the cultivation of chickpea is increasing every year as it is one of the most important pulse crops of India due to its qualitative as well as quantitative importance. However, its average yield on farmer’s field is low than its potential yield on research station. The main reason for low production is lack of knowledge and adoption of improved or recommended chickpea production technology. Therefore, it was worthwhile to study entitled “Knowledge and Adoption of Farmers about Chickpea Production Technology in Junagadh District”. This study was carried out with specific objectives: to study the personal, socio-economic, communicational, psychological and situational characteristics of chickpea growers as well as to study the extent of knowledge and adoption of them about recommended chickpea production technology, to study the association between chickpea growers’ knowledge and adoption about chickpea production technology with their selected characteristics, to find out constraints and seek suggestion from the respondents to overcome constraints faced by them. A study was conducted in Junagadh district of Gujarat state. In order to realize the objectives of the study, 4 talukas were selected purposively for the study where areas of cultivation of chickpea were higher as well as familiar area for researcher. 3 villages from each talukas were selected randomly and 10 respondents from each selected villages were selected randomly as sample. Hence, total 120 chickpea growers were studied. The data were collected by personal interview method. The data so collected were coded, classified and tabulated analyzed in order to make meaning conclusions. The result of the study revealed that more than half (53.33 per cent) of the chickpea growers were in middle aged, 43.33 per cent were educated up to middle school or secondary school level; whereas majority of the respondents had medium farm experience (60.00 per cent), medium social participation (70.00 per cent), medium size of land holding (46.67 per cent), medium annual income (38.33 per cent), medium extension participation (61.67 per cent), medium mass media exposure (62.50 per cent), medium innovativeness (65.84 per cent), medium scientific ii orientation (54.17 per cent), medium risk orientation (57.50 per cent), medium irrigation potentiality (47.50 per cent), medium cropping intensity (50.83 per cent) and medium yield index (54.17 per cent). Majority (71.67 per cent) of the respondents had medium knowledge level, followed by 15.83 per cent and 12.50 per cent of the respondents had high and low knowledge level, respectively. Majority (64.14 per cent) of the respondents had medium level of adoption, followed by 21.67 and 14.16 per cent of respondents had low and high level of adoption about recommended chickpea production technology. The data on practice wise adoption revealed that the level of adoption was found highest in practice like preparation of land and it secured rank 1st, followed by spacing (rank II), time of sowing (rank III), weeding and inter culturing (rank IV), seed rate (rank V), harvesting (rank VI), storage (rank VII), seed treatment (rank VIII), chemical fertilizer application (rank IX), irrigation (rank X), improved variety (rank XI), disease control (rank XII), pest control (rank XIII), bio fertilizers (rank XIV) and micronutrients and plant growth regulators (rank XV). Out of fourteen independent variables, extension participation and yield index had positive and highly significant association, whereas education, farm experience, social participation, annual income, mass media exposure, innovativeness, scientific orientation, risk orientation, irrigation potentiality and cropping intensity had positive and significant association, while age and size of land holding had positive and non significant association with knowledge as well as adoption of farmers about chickpea production technology. Major constraints faced by respondents were; high cost of farm inputs, non availability of appropriate market price on farm produce, low production due to pest and disease infection, high cost of labor ,lack of appropriate knowledge about improved varieties and destruction of seedbed by hazardous animals. Major suggestions offered by respondents were; production inputs should be supplied at subsidize rate, produced should be purchased by government at reasonable price, provide technical knowledge about insecticide, fungicide and weedicide, water harvesting projects should be developed and more numbers of training program should be arranged at village level.EnglishThesis